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Kenyan minister George Saitoti killed in helicopter crash | Kenyan minister George Saitoti killed in helicopter crash |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti has been killed in a helicopter crash, officials say. | Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti has been killed in a helicopter crash, officials say. |
They say Mr Saitoti and his deputy, Orwa Ojode, died when the aircraft went down west of Nairobi, bursting into flames as it hit the ground. | They say Mr Saitoti and his deputy, Orwa Ojode, died when the aircraft went down west of Nairobi, bursting into flames as it hit the ground. |
There is no word on the cause of the crash, in which six people were killed, including bodyguards and pilots. | |
Mr Saitoti, a former vice-president, had been planning to run in a forthcoming presidential poll. | Mr Saitoti, a former vice-president, had been planning to run in a forthcoming presidential poll. |
The 66-year-old was on his way to a security meeting when his helicopter crashed on Sunday morning. | The 66-year-old was on his way to a security meeting when his helicopter crashed on Sunday morning. |
An journalist for AFP news agency saw six charred bodies being removed from the wreckage. | An journalist for AFP news agency saw six charred bodies being removed from the wreckage. |
Another reporter at the scene says debris of the burnt-out police helicopter were strewn in the brush. | Another reporter at the scene says debris of the burnt-out police helicopter were strewn in the brush. |
Leading politician | |
George Saitoti had been a key figure in Kenyan politics, holding a number of senior ministerial posts over the last 30 years. | |
The professor of mathematics joined Daniel arap Moi's government as a finance minister in 1983, going on to become his vice-president in 1988. | |
He briefly stepped down as education minister in 1996 over accusations he was involved in the Goldenberg financial scandal, but was reinstated when a Kenyan court ruled he should not be charged. | |
After years as a senior member in the long-dominant Kanu party, Mr Saitoti joined the current president Mwai Kibaki's National Alliance of Kenya in 2002. | |
As Internal Security Minister under Mr Kibaki, he was a leading government voice against the Somali militant group al-Shabab. | |
Kenyan troops have been fighting al-Shabab in Somalia since they sent troops into the country last October. | |
The militants have killed several people in a string of grenade attacks in various parts of Kenya, including Nairobi. | |
Mr Saitoti announced he would stand for the presidency last October. | |
No date for the presidential election has so far been set. Mr Kibaki's mandate ends in January 2013. | No date for the presidential election has so far been set. Mr Kibaki's mandate ends in January 2013. |
Prime Minister Raila Odinga - a rival of both Mr Kibaki and Mr Saitoti - has also announced he was standing for president. | Prime Minister Raila Odinga - a rival of both Mr Kibaki and Mr Saitoti - has also announced he was standing for president. |
The last presidential election, in December 2007, was followed by a wave of ethnic and political violence in which about 1,500 were killed. | The last presidential election, in December 2007, was followed by a wave of ethnic and political violence in which about 1,500 were killed. |
Mr Odinga has warned about the emergence of ethnically-based political groups in the run-up to the next poll. | Mr Odinga has warned about the emergence of ethnically-based political groups in the run-up to the next poll. |