Sgt Cliffons Omondi 34, who passed on in the ill-fated chopper that crushed in Elgeyo Marakwet, was a man of the people, family members have said.

The late Sgt Omondi came from a humble background in Ndiwo village, Alego Usonga sub-county.

He joined the Kenya Airforce in 2014 and was based at the Moi Air base.

According to his family members, before boarding the chopper together with the CDF, he called a few friends and village mates and informed them of his journey in the Rift Valley.

According to his cousin Dominic Omondi, he was a man of the people.

“Our brother was a loving and caring man. While in the village, you would not know that he was a Kenya Airforce officer,” he said.

Before the president announced the casualties in the chopper crush, the family members had already been informed of what had happened to their kin.

Sgt Omondi was the second last child in the family of eight children.

“He took care of his family well, he ensured that his mother had enough to eat and all that she needed,” said Domnic Omondi.