Security chief dies in Kenya air crash

Kenya’s Internal Security Minister was killed with five other people in a helicopter crash near the capital Nairobi yesterday, the vice president said.

Minister George Saitoti and his assistant were among those killed, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said. The victims’ charred remains were scattered in a forest.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga said at the crash scene the death of Mr Saitoti was a “great tragedy that has befallen our country at this time as we are making elaborate preparations to hold peaceful elections”.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.

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Mr Saitoti, an American-trained economist and mathematician, was one of the most visible figures in Kenyan politics. For more than a decade he was a deputy to former president Daniel arap Moi.

He appeared often on television to reassure the public in the aftermath of deadly attacks blamed on the Somali militant group al-Shabab. He played a key role in the decision to send troops into Somalia last year.

Mr Saitoti said he would seek the presidency in 2013.

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