Ecuador moves to protect children of intelligence chief killed in Kenya helicopter crash
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Ecuador moves to protect children of intelligence chief killed in Kenya helicopter crash
The death of Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi in a helicopter crash in Samburu County has triggered a series of measures from the Ecuadorian government, including security protection for his children.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered the Presidential Military Household to provide security and protection to Sensi-Contugi’s children through Executive Decree 478, issued a day after the 44-year-old intelligence chief and his wife, Stephany María Hollihan, were killed in the crash.
According to Ecuadorian media, the decree also allows other members of the family to receive protection if a subsequent risk assessment determines that security measures are necessary.
The decree does not, however, identify a specific threat against the family or explain why the children require protection.
“With Executive Decree 478, President Daniel Noboa ordered the Presidential Military House to provide security and protection measures to the children of Michele Sensi Contugi Ycaza, who served as Director General of the National Intelligence Center,” Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio reported.
Three-day national mourning
The directive is one of several actions taken by Ecuador following the death of the senior government official.
President Noboa has also declared three days of national mourning from August 20 to August 22, ordered a state funeral for Sensi-Contugi and his wife, and appointed Luis Carlos Ávila Chávez as Acting Director General of the National Intelligence Center.
The measures followed the Wednesday, August 19 crash near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County that killed all seven people aboard the helicopter.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the Eurocopter EC130 B4 was carrying six passengers and a pilot on a flight from the Loisaba Conservancy towards the Ewaso Nyiro area when it crashed at about 9:13am.
The aircraft was operated by Lady Lori Helicopters and was carrying guests travelling with a safari company.
Michele Sensi-Contugi?
Sensi-Contugi was the Director General of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center, known as the CIES.
President Noboa appointed him to the position in January 2024. Before taking charge of the intelligence agency, Sensi-Contugi had served for four months as a minister in Noboa’s government and had established close links with the president before joining his administration.
He was also an Italian-Ecuadorian businessman. Italian public broadcaster Rai reported that Sensi-Contugi had Italian and Ecuadorian citizenship and came from a family with roots in Volterra, Tuscany.
The Ecuadorian government has not indicated that Sensi-Contugi was in Kenya on an official assignment.
Reports state that he and Hollihan were in the country on holiday when they joined the helicopter flight.
His wife, Hollihan, was also a prominent professional. She was a fashion designer who founded Sensi Studio, a fashion brand known for incorporating Ecuadorian elements and materials into its designs. She held Ecuadorian and US citizenship.
Other passengers
Sensi-Contugi and his wife were not the only prominent figures aboard the helicopter.
Among the other victims was José Alberto Suárez, a senior NBCUniversal and Telemundo executive who led several television stations in Florida.
NBCUniversal described Suárez as a respected leader and mentor in a memo to employees following his death.
Reports indicate that he had held senior positions across several Telemundo stations during his career.
Five of the six passengers were US citizens, according to US authorities. Hollihan was among those identified as an American citizen.
Another victim was Miami restaurateur Roger Edward Duarte. Other victims identified by US and international media include Adam Martin Hlavaty and Henry Parra, while the Kenyan pilot, Josh Outram, also died in the crash.
The identities of the passengers have brought international attention to an accident that was initially reported to have involved an unidentified group of tourists travelling through northern Kenya.
Crash at Mount Ololokwe
The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain near Mount Ololokwe, a prominent tourist destination in Samburu.
Emergency responders, including the Kenya Red Cross, were involved in the recovery operation, but the terrain and an active fire at the crash site complicated access. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash and there were no survivors.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and the Air Accident Investigation Department are handling investigations into the circumstances and cause of the crash. The cause has not been established publicly.
The tragedy has consequently involved authorities from several countries as the identities and backgrounds of the victims have emerged.
Reporting originally appeared via Pulse Live Kenya. Read the full source for additional context.