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Garissa teacher killed by helicopter propeller while dispatching KCSE exam papers

The helicopter whose chopper blades struck Ahmed Nur Ismail in Garissa County on 21 November 2023. (Photo: Courtesy)

By Issa Hussein | Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The invigilator is said to had just picked the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam papers when the incident occurred.

A teacher has died after being struck by a helicopter propeller in Masalani, Garissa County.

According to Garissa County Commissioner Solomon Chesuti, the invigilator had just picked the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam papers when the incident occurred at the Deputy County Commissioner's office in Ijara town.

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The examination papers were being airlifted to Hulugho Boys and Holugho Girls Secondary in Holugho sub-county and Ijara Boys and Ijara Girls Secondary in Ijara sub-county.

The regions were cut off after the El Nino rains rendered the roads impassible.

The deceased body is being transported to his Garseni home in Tana River county for burial despite challenges of the road linking Masalani town where the fatal incident occurred and Hola in Tana River.

Residents normally use canoes from the Masalani Bridge to Boji in Tana River County.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) sent a statement said investigations have commenced into the incident through various agencies led by the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) and the Kenya National Police Service.

The incident comes a day after two helicopters crashed in Wajir County in separate incidents.

In the first incident, at least three people sustained injuries following the crash of a private helicopter at Wajir Airport.

The three included a pilot and two officials transporting KCSE examination materials from Wajir to Arbajahan town within Wajir County.

The helicopter registration 5Y-SDL went down less than a minute after departing from the airport.

In the second incident, a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) logistics helicopter crashed moments after takeoff in Buna, Wajir North.

The cargo plane, dedicated to delivering relief food to flood-affected residents of Buna, is said to have faced challenges due to damaged roads from El Nino rains.