Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi was among seven people killed after a tourist helicopter crashed at the foot of Mount Ololokwe, also known as Lolokwe or Ol Lolokwe, near Kirish in Samburu County, northern Kenya, on Wednesday morning, August 19, 2026.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4, registration 5Y-GYM and operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, crashed at about 9:13am while on a scenic charter flight from Loisaba Wildlife Conservancy towards the Ewaso Nyiro area.
All six passengers and the pilot died in the crash and fire that followed.
Sensi-Contugi, 44, was the director general of Ecuador’s Strategic Intelligence Center, CIES. He held dual Italian and Ecuadorian citizenship and was appointed to the position in 2024 by President Daniel Noboa.
He was travelling with his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan Vasconez, a dual Ecuadorian-American citizen. The couple leaves behind two children.
Five American citizens were also killed. They were José Alberto Suárez, a senior Telemundo and NBCUniversal executive who served as president and general manager of stations in Florida; Miami restaurateur Roger Edward Duarte; real estate executive Adam Martin Hlavaty; and software executive Henry Parra.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the aircraft and flight details, while the Ministry of Roads and Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Department is leading investigations into the crash.
Samburu County Police Commander David Nkoroi confirmed that all seven people on board died.
Recovery efforts by multi-agency teams, including the Kenya Red Cross, were made difficult by the steep and rocky terrain at the mountain’s foothills and a fire that gutted the wreckage. Drones were deployed to assess the crash site, while recovery of some of the bodies was delayed due to the fire.
‘’Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site.’’
An additional team has been dispatched from Isiolo to reinforce the operation.Ecuador’s presidential office and the US State Department have sent condolences, with the US Embassy in Nairobi providing consular assistance.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
