Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has led mourners at the burial of Baringo deputy governor Charles Kipngok.
The funeral service is underway at the Solian Girls High School, Eldama Ravine, Baringo.
Rift Valley Commissioner Mohamed Maalim and governor Benjamin Cheboi were among the guests who arrived early at the service.
Kipng’ok died on September 14 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on aboard a Kenya Airways aircraft minutes before it took off for Mombasa, where he was expected to join other county bosses for the Council of Governors induction.
Speaking to the media at Lee Funeral home in Nairobi, Cheboi confirmed his deputy’s demise, adding that they could not immediately confirm the cause of the death.
Cheboi acknowledged Dr Patrick Amoth, acting Director General for Health who was also a passenger on the flight, as among the doctors who tried to resuscitate Kipngok but to no avail.
“It is a loss to us. We were just preparing to start the business of building our great county of Baringo,” Cheboi said.
Kipng’ok was a former chairperson of the Kenya Tea Growers Association.