Victims of Jinx and Selective Calamity

With the death of Ministers Kipkalya Kones and Lorna Laboso Kenya enters another mourning phase of its legislators. ODM must be smarting from serial human loses after the death of four of its MPs in as many months. The present tragedy wouldn’t have visited at the most politically trying moment given the shaky and untrusting Government of Grand coalition Kenya is grappling with.

Granted, conspiracy theories abound. Add that to today’s five buy-elections and the tension couldn’t have been more palpable. The first question that comes to mind is why would two ministers fly in the same chopper given the past Marsabit experience that coincidentally happened 26 months ago to the day? Even in commercial flights they warn of unlikely events. And just how safe and airworthy are these choppers outside the military ones that our politicians ride in while running political errands? Well, these are politically charged times and the present tragedy only succeeds in opening more questions than answers.

Painful circumstances are conspiring to prescribe constant electioneering mood for ODM. Their majority status in parliament is under constant threat. Add to that the clamour for grand opposition and you get is a party with her threads all stretched out at the seams. But again being the scavengers they are, the noisy politicians (specifically from South Rift) will be circling the empty seats even before the two late ministers are lowered six feet under.

Universal equalizer

So are we jinxed or are the two Ministers simply unfortunate victims of elite death? Well, you don’t have to be superstitious to understand Kenyans’ general discomfort with anything left to the fate of official investigation. The stones are never touched leave alone lifted. Commercial aircrafts are exclusively owned by typical SURVVY Kenyan entrepreneurs whose forte is CUTTING CORNERS. So there you have it DECEPTION and all its variants is never too far away in our hell-for-leather philosophy to wealth creation.

Death remains the universal equalizer and may the two late Ministers earn what they deserve in the life thereafter. They may not have been saints but fought the life war by serving their people the best way they knew how. We are no better either. We are left at the mercy of political vultures continuously scheming to feather their nests. Fare thee well Lorna and Kones.

PS: True to the adage that calamities come in doubles, more than 100 people are feared dead Tuesday at Khartoum Airport when a plane burst into flames after skidding off the runway when landing from Amman Jordan in a stormy weather. And this is hardly a month after Sudan lost 24 people including a minister in a plane crash last May. Obtuse coincidence/s or are we dicing with death?

Breaking News: Two ODM Ministers Die in Air Crash

Unconfirmed news just in indicate that Minister for Roads Kipkalya Kones and Assistant Minister in Office of the Vice President Lorna Laboso both of the Orange Democratic Movement are reportedly feared dead in an air crash together with pilot in the Narok area.

More information to be published as police releases more details.

Update 17h45 Kenya Time:

Kenya TV news channels flashing breaking news.

Kones and Laboso, together with their pilot are feared dead. Light aircraft went down in Enoosupukia 100km from Narok Town. The duo were in the area to campaign for ODM candidates in tomorrow's by-elections in Kilgoris and Ainamoi.

Update 18h00 Kenya Time

Kipkalya Kones and Lorna Laboso have NOW BEEN CONFIRMED DEAD.

Kenya Police also confirm that plane went down at 14h00 local time.

It is still unknown how many passengers were on the aircraft.

Salim Lone confirms that the plane left Wilson Airport for Kericho campaigns.

The incident is has thrown ODM into a spin and Lone has described it as a devastating blow to the party and too bad to be true.

Update: 18h14

Police are at the scene of the air crash. There are no survivors. There has been bad weather in the lower Rift Valley area and the aircraft is reported to have crashed on a hillside.

ODM Captain, Prime Minister Raila Odinga is reportedly at a unknown location and said 'to be badly shaken' and cannot be raised on his cellphone.

Update: 18h25

Narok Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Patrick Wambani confirms from the scene of the crash that there were three passengers of African descent plus one white Caucasian. The fourth African passenger is being assumed to be Kones' bodyguard.

Country in shock as police confirm deaths. Police suspect bad weather or mechanical fault as cause of plane crash. Raila and his wife Ida are said to be badly shaken by the news.

There has not been official government statement as at the time of going to press.


Update by Chris

What Is Going On?

The first question Kenyans must ask themselves is why two cabinet ministers were riding in the same plane. Basic common sense tells you that you never do that.

Somebody needs to answer that question before we discuss anything else about the death of the two ministers earlier today.

Still what has happened has happened and cannot be reversed. The right approach now is to remain calm as we await answers.

My hope is that the ministers did not die in vain and that Kenyans will now wake up to the full implications of the Kibaki succession and what it entails, knowing our politicians and those who make money from politics.

Update: 20h05 Kenya Time

Raila has read condolences on behalf of the ODM. Raila was flanked by the ODM top brass including, Ruto, Ntimama, Mudavadi and others.

ODM is urging it supporters to remain calm.

The party is also saying the by-elections scheduled for tomorrow should not be postponed and that wananchi should come out it large numbers to vote for ODM candidates.

Update: 20h30 Kenya Time

ODM top brass, reeling from the shocking tragedy, are reported to be locked in closed-door meeting. A statement is expected later tonight or early tomorrow morning. Some party officials have been dispatched to go and console the families of the deceased ministers.

The ODM statement is expected to shed more light about the ministers' ill fated trip and also about the condition of the aircraft which this blogger has been informed has been previously chartered for campaign purposes by ODM officials, actually as recently as this past weekend.

Update: 21h00

Bodies of the deceased are still lying at the crash site nearly eight hours after the crash. A parliamentary committee led by Hon. William Ruto has been set up by government and are expected to accompany a high powered government security team that is expected to travel to Narok early tomorrow morning to commence investigations and retrieve the bodies of the ministers.