A helicopter pilot who flew Kenya’s deputy president to a function in the central county of Nyandarua has handed himself in to police after a video appeared to show him assaulting a police officer.
The widely shared video shows the pilot pushing the officer, swearing at her and ordering her to disband the crowd that had gathered around William Ruto’s helicopter.
“Do your job, OK?” the pilot is heard saying. “Tell these people to move back.” He shouts expletives at her as she walks away.
Police chief Joseph Boinett ordered an investigation and commencement of criminal proceedings against the pilot. The incident took place on Sunday in Ndunyu Njeru, where Ruto was attending a church service.
PRESS RELEASE pic.twitter.com/cLl8cPktUo
— National Police (@NPSOfficial_KE) February 23, 2016
Kenyans have been expressing their condemnation using the hashtag #DeportRutosPilot.
Kwae Island Development which operates the helicopter, said it had terminated its agreement with the pilot, identified as Alastair Patrick Llewelyn, and the company he works for, Saker Resource Management. “KIDL respects the all the service men and women of the Kenya police and abhors the actions of Alistair Llewelyn,” the company said.
Ruto asked the police to take action against the pilot, saying he was only notified about the incident on Monday morning. “This incident is unacceptable, regrettable and the police have been asked to investigate the unbecoming behaviour of the pilot,” Ruto said.
Ruto’s office said the pilot was not one of the deputy president’s staff and was only taking him to Ndunya Njeru on Sunday. “The pilot was hired,” the communications secretary, David Mugonyi, told the Star. “He is not Ruto’s pilot. You cannot expect us to take charge of every personnel hired for the DP. If you hire a taxi and the taximan misbehaves, will you be responsible?”
Kenya’s national assembly majority leader, Aden Duale, called for immediate action, describing the pilot’s behaviour as “unbecoming and unacceptable”.
