“Daddy hawezi ongea, daddy akufa,” these words by George Magondu’s six-year-old son have left Kenyans heartbroken.
Days after a Kenya Defence Forces helicopter crashed claiming the life of military chief Gen Francis Ogolla and nine others, the family of Goerge Benson Kabui Magondu, the pilot flying the ill-fated Bell UH-1H Huey II helicopter has spoken out on the agony of losing their loved one.
Many are praying for Magondu’s widow, who is confused about how to explain to her kids what happened to their father.
It has since emerged that Major Magondu, a 30-year-old father of three, had the responsibility of flying the high and mighty both in the military and in the political spheres.
A video of pilot George Magondu’s three children confused as they played near their father’s coffin has left Kenyans in tears. Magondu was laid to rest on April 27.
Born on September 21, 1993, the last-born son in his family attended Moi Forces Academy from nursery school to Form Four. He scored A in his KCSE exams..Young family George Magondu left behind
Magondu, the pilot of the ill-fated chopper that crashed on April 18, killing 10, among them CDF Francis Ogolla, was happily married to a fellow military officer, captain Brenda Okello.
According to his mother Mary Wambui, Magondu who was passionate about piloting since he was young and would later join the military after successfully going through cadets’ recruitment process.
The couple was blessed with three handsome boys: Liam Wallace Magondu Kabue, aged six, Ryan Walter Kabue and Neil William Kabue, both aged four.
After successfully pursuing his three-year combined military studies and flying course, Magondu enrolled for another piloting course in South Africa.
Magondu and his children shared a strong bond, and while eulogising him, his mother-in-law, Maureen Akinyi, said his children, grappling with the loss of their father, kept asking for him since the tragic incident.
He would later be deployed at Laikipia Air Base before he was transferred to Moi Air Base in Nairobi where his diligence attracted the attention of his seniors.
By Newsmedia