Tragic tour: Intelligence boss among 7 killed in Samburu chopper crash
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- A helicopter carrying six tourists and a pilot crashed on Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, Kenya, on August 19, 2026
- Ecuador's Strategic Intelligence Centre director Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife Stephany Hollihan Vasconez were among the seven people on board
- The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the crash as search and recovery teams battled difficult terrain and an active fire at the site
Seven people died on the morning of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, when a helicopter went down on Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, northern Kenya.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed the crash, which killed six tourists and the pilot.
Among those who perished were Michele Sensi-Contugi, the director of Ecuador's Centre for Strategic Intelligence (CIES), and his wife, Stephany Hollihan Vasconez, a fashion designer and founder of Sensi Studio based in Guayaquil.
Their deaths were confirmed by sources close to the Ecuadorian government, according to a report by Primicias, an Ecuadorian gitial news and investigative outlet.
Who Was Michele Sensi-Contugi?
Born in Italy on August 12, 1982, to an Italian father and an Ecuadorian mother, Sensi-Contugi held dual Italian and Ecuadorian nationality.
He had served as Ecuador's Minister of the Interior between April and August 2024 under President Daniel Noboa, to whom he was considered a close friend and confidant. He had also been among the financiers of Noboa's presidential election campaign in 2023.
Beyond his public sector roles, Sensi-Contugi had been appointed director of the CIES in 2024 and was a businessman in the manufacture of plastic and rubber products.
He served as a shareholder and general manager of three companies in Guayaquil and had interests in scenic and tourist flight operations.
Crash Site and Recovery Efforts
The pilot of the downed aircraft was identified as Josh Outram, who had more than 15 years of flying experience. Outram had founded an African helicopter company dedicated to taking visitors into some of the region's most remote landscapes.
His company also provided aerial support to the Loisaba Nature Reserve and neighbouring reserves, assisting with wildlife monitoring, animal transfers, and sedation operations.
Kenya Red Cross reported that search and recovery efforts were underway but faced serious challenges, including difficult terrain and an active fire burning at the crash site.
An additional team was dispatched from Isiolo to reinforce the ongoing operation.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.