Citizen TV journalist Jamila Mohamed has reflected on the death of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno, describing the tragedy as a painful moment for the country and particularly for the residents who had repeatedly entrusted him with leadership.
Speaking on Thursday night during the Citizen TV News Gang show, Jamila recounted how the news of the fatal plane crash first emerged and the wave of shock that followed across the country.
“It was a sad Saturday evening,” she said, recalling the moment reports began circulating about a plane crash in Mosop.
According to Jamila, the days that followed have been filled with mourning activities aimed at giving both national leaders and local residents an opportunity to pay their final respects to the late legislator.
She noted that a funeral service had earlier been held in Nairobi before another ceremony took place in Emurua Dikirr, where residents gathered in large numbers to mourn the leader they had elected three times.
Jamila pointed out that Ngeno’s political journey reflected a rare level of public trust, highlighting that he managed to retain the parliamentary seat across different political parties over the years.
“The residents from that area had to get a chance to mourn their MP, who they had elected three times in a row,” she said during the discussion.
She explained that Ngeno first won the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary seat in 2013 under the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party. He later secured re-election in 2017 under the Kenya National Congress (KNC) before winning again in 2022 on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
According to Jamila, the ability to maintain voter support despite changing party affiliations demonstrated the strong personal connection he had built with his constituents over the years.
“That shows you how much they loved him, and they wanted him as a leader because they elected him three different times under three different parties,” she said.
Ngeno died alongside several other people in the plane crash that occurred in Mosop last Saturday, an incident that has continued to draw tributes from political leaders, colleagues, and residents from his constituency.