A sombre mood engulfed Saos village in Eldama Ravine sub-County on Saturday as Colonel Duncan Keitany was laid to rest.
Colonel Keitany was among the nine military officers who died following a tragic chopper crash in Elgeyo Marakwet on April 18 alongside Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla .
His widow, Norah Keitany, eulogised him as a person who loved and respected her unconditionally.
Col Keitany was in high spirits on last visit home family KDF chopper crash: Colonel Duncan Keitanys widow speaks out'I thank God for the 29 years of our blessed marriage. I will miss you my hubby with whom I attended the Kituro High School. On April 18, 1995, we had our official union and that is the day and month you died,' said Ms Keitany in her tribute.
'My husband was full of humour and I enjoyed that I could laugh my ribs off. He respected me so much. I cherish the so often coffee dates you took me to our famous joint the Wimpy. Your shoes are too big for me to put on but God will help me pull through' added the mother of four.
His children also described him as 'more than a parent' whose kindness, wisdom and unwavering love shaped them into the people they are today.
'One of the most remarkable things about my dad was the laughter he brought us through his stories. We would sleep late when we were all home. It was never a dull moment for us,' said Lorraine Yegon, his firstborn in her tribute.
'His generosity knew no bounds and was the pillar of the community and supported our extended family and friends greatly. As a father, he was a hero, our mentor and our rock. You could count on him,' she added.
Kenya Air Force Commander Major General John Omenda also said that the Colonel was more than a brother and friend to him.
'I stand here with a heavy heart because I have not only lost a friend but also a brother to me. We joined the military together, trained together in various fields including flying and also graduated at the same time. We covered the same distance together,' said Major General Omenda.
'We have lost a great man and a team player and on behalf of my family we pass our condolences,' added the Major General who also read the eulogy to the family on behalf of President Williams Ruto .
In his 32 years of service in the military, he said, Colonel Keitany distinguished himself as dedicated and a loyal senior officer and earned himself the admiration and respect of his colleagues and friends.
He rose through the military ranks to the rank of Colonel and was appointed Colonel head of operations at Defence Headquarters on May 26, 2023, a post he held up to his death. The cruel hand of death has robbed his family of a loved one and the country of a patriotic and hard-working senior officer, said in the eulogy he read on behalf of President Ruto.
We will remember him as a diligent senior officer whose service to this country will be very much valued, he added.
Chief of operations at the Defence headquarters Brigadier Edward Rugendo also described the deceased senior officer who joined the military in 1991 and rose through the ranks to the position of Colonel as a disciplined officer whose unwavering loyalty, selflessness and commitment set up apart as respectable senior officer.
Local leaders from the region raised concerns that it was unfortunate to lose more than 10 officers who were in pursuit to ensure that sanity is restored and learners in the banditry-prone areas go back to their schools.
Labour and Social Protection CS Simon Chelugui said Kenya has lost gallant soldiers who were committed to restoring sanity in the insecurity-prone areas.
Our development is dependent on peace. We have lost soldiers who wanted to ensure that peace is restored in the restive areas in the North Rift. The deaths of the senior military officers will be a genesis of ensuring that sanity resumes in the affected areas, said CS Chelugui.
Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi said the deaths of the military officers are a lesson to Kenyans to embrace peace.
Were it not for insecurity in this region, these gallant soldiers could not have died. Neighbouring communities should co-exist peacefully once and for all, said Governor Cheboi.
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap raised concerns that his constituents have borne the brunt of the runaway insecurity menace that has led to the killing of more than 18 people since the beginning of this year, tens of others nursing gunshot injuries and thousands displaced from their homes.
The KDF officers were on a mission to ensure that sanity is restored in the banditry-prone counties in the North Rift by overseeing the rehabilitation of schools that had been vandalized by criminals. One of the primary schools is Chepkesin in my constituency and, sadly, they died while overseeing the exercise, said
