KENYA – A remote mountain in northern Kenya where seven people were killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday is a place with a special connection to KPRC 2.
Five Americans were among those killed when a charter helicopter crashed in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, according to the U.S. State Department and Kenyan authorities. All six passengers and the pilot aboard the aircraft died.
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For KPRC 2, the location is especially familiar.
Last year, a KPRC 2 crew, including anchor Keith Garvin and photojournalist Roger Franco, traveled to this same region of northern Kenya with the Houston Zoo to document efforts to protect the country’s dwindling lion population. That reporting became the primetime special “Saving Lions: The Pride of Kenya,” which later earned a prestigious Silver Telly Award.
During that trip, our crew hiked to the top of Mount Ololokwe - the same mountain where Wednesday’s helicopter crashed - alongside members of the conservation organization Ewaso Lions and several dozen Samburu children participating in the group’s Lion Kids Camp. The trek was part of an effort to teach the children about the importance of protecting lions, other large carnivores and the wildlife that surrounds their communities.
Ewaso Lions, a community-led Kenyan conservation organization enlists warriors, women, children, and elders in conservation efforts throughout the Samburu region.
Ewaso Lions created its Lion Kids Camp program to introduce conservation to children at an early age. The five-day camps teach children about lions and other large carnivores, threats to their survival and ways communities can peacefully coexist with wildlife. KPRC 2 documented one of those camps as part of “Saving Lions.”
Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter crashed at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time Wednesday, Aug. 19, near Mount Ololokwe. The aircraft was carrying six passengers and one pilot. There were no survivors.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that five of those killed were American citizens and said the U.S. Embassy is working with Kenyan authorities and providing consular assistance.
- Watch the documentary: Saving Lions: The Pride of Kenya
The helicopter was operated by Lady Lori Kenya, which said the aircraft was conducting a charter flight when it crashed. The company said it was cooperating fully with authorities investigating the accident. Kenya Red Cross crews responded to the remote crash site, where rugged terrain and a fire complicated search and recovery operations. Images from the scene showed pieces of the aircraft scattered across the rocky foothills, with smoke and flames visible around portions of the wreckage. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Mount Ololokwe rises dramatically above the Samburu landscape and was one of the memorable locations KPRC 2 encountered while documenting the relationship between people and wildlife in northern Kenya. Our 2025 trip took us through the Samburu National Reserve and surrounding community conservancies, where Ewaso Lions has developed programs designed to reduce conflicts between people, livestock and lions while giving local communities a direct role in conservation.