Colonel Duncan Keitany was in high spirits on last visit home – family
Vincent Keitany (centre), a brother of Colonel Duncan Keitany, with mourners at their home in Cheraik village, Eldama Ravine, on Friday, April 19, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The military officer was the breadwinner of his extended family.
- The father of six had been in military service for more than 33 years after joining the Air Force in 1991.
- His younger sister is also yet to come to terms with the loss of her brother. She learned about his passing on social media.
On April 11, a week before he was involved in the military helicopter crash at the border of Elgeyo-Marakwet and West Pokot counties, Colonel Duncan Keitany made an impromptu visit to his rural home in Cheraik village, Eldama Ravine and had a long chat with his younger brother before they retired to bed.
The following morning, together with his brother Vincent Keitany, they went to oversee the tilling of his land before he left for his workstation in Nairobi.
It would be the last time they would see him alive.
Col Keitany, 55, the firstborn in a family of six, was in high spirits on his last visit home. As they tilled the land, he encouraged his siblings to work hard, citing the hard economic times.
“I did not know that would be the last time to see him alive,” Mr Keitany said fighting tears.
The military officer was the breadwinner of his extended family. The father of six had been in military service for more than 33 years after joining the Air Force in 1991.
His brother learned about the accident on television news on Thursday evening. He recalls calling him earlier in the day before the crash but his phone was engaged.
“I least expected that my brother would be among the victims. I was in denial when the President read out the names, and I kept assuring myself that it was a different person,” said Mr Keitany.
Deborah Keitany, his younger sister is also yet to come to terms with the loss of her brother. She learned about his passing on social media.
“I did not focus much on who was in the ill-fated military chopper when I heard about the news until 7pm when I saw my brother’s name among the victims list that was circulating on Facebook. The news ripped me apart and I do not know if life will be the same for us,” said Ms Keitany. Duncan paid her school fees in college.
“The colonel was paying for my school fees and he had recently advised me to proceed for a Diploma after graduating in a Certificate course,” she said.
Wilson Kogei, a neighbour, described the deceased as a generous person who immensely contributed to community projects and assisted the less fortunate.
“Since he joined the military in 1991, the colonel has been a very supportive and generous person in this community. He contributed a lot in every event or fundraiser in this area and he even extended his generosity in donating an acre of his land for the construction of a church adjacent to his home,” said Mr Kogei.
Isaac Cheboi, another area resident, urged the government to expedite investigations to ascertain the cause of the crash.
“This is a big blow to us and we have a thousand unanswered questions. We have lost a senior officer in the military who was an asset in this area. We received news of his passing with very heavy hearts and we want the government to tell us exactly what happened,” said Mr Cheboi.
“We depended on Col Keitany so much that we will feel the magnitude of his loss. He had a lot of projects in mind to implement to assist villagers,” stated the elder.
