COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli / XCentral Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has dismissed as false claims circulating on social media linking him to the helicopter crash that killed seven people in Samburu county on Wednesday.
Atwoli responded to a post alleging that he had invited Ecuadorian intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi to Kenya and had been scheduled to accompany the tourists on the ill-fated flight before changing his plans at the last minute.
“Please disregard all these lazy and fake stories from these social media addicts, idle doomscrollers and master spreaders of misinformation and fake news,” Atwoli said in a statement on Thursday.
The claims further alleged that Atwoli was expected to travel to Samburu before proceeding to Kilifi, but instead attended a meeting at his Upper Hill office.
Atwoli maintained that we disregard the post declaring it fake news.
The helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe at about 9.13am on August 19 while travelling from Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
All seven people aboard the Eurocopter EC130 B4 died in the crash. They included Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Stephany Hollihan, as well as five American citizens.
The KCAA said the Air Accident Investigation Department under the Ministry of Roads and Transport was leading investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Search and recovery operations were also complicated by the remote terrain and an active fire at the crash site, with the Kenya Red Cross deploying response teams and using drones to assess the area.
The social media claims emerged as details of the victims and the circumstances of the crash were being reported, creating a further wave of online speculation around the identities and activities of those involved.
Atwoli's response specifically rejected the suggestion that he had been part of the planned trip or had narrowly escaped the crash. He also disputed claims that he knew the passengers who died.
The crash itself remains under investigation, with authorities yet to establish its cause.
