Kenyan bishops mourn six who died en route to Catholic celebrations

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's Catholic bishops mourned the deaths of six people killed in an air crash en route to Catholic celebrations in the western part of the country.

Among those killed were Minister of Internal Security George Saitoto, a Catholic; his assistant minister, Joshua Orwa Ojode; their two bodyguards, the pilot and co-pilot. Their helicopter, en route to the Diocese of Homa Bay, crashed in Ngong shortly after takeoff from Nairobi June 10.

A statement from the Kenya Episcopal Conference called the two "staunch patriots and God-fearing Kenyan citizens."

"We urge the government to fast-track investigations into the cause of the accident and hope that the lessons learned from this and similar accidents in the past will help avert further loss of life," said the bishops.

"We assure all Kenyans our prayerful communion as we all mourn and come to terms with the great loss to our nation," they added.