Joseph Nkaissery (left) and George Saitoti during a fundraiser at PCEA Church Rongai on March 6, 2011. [PHOTO | HEZRON NJOROGE | NATION MEDIA GROUP]

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The death of the Interior Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Major General (Rtd) Joseph Nkaiserry, awakens memories of the death of George Saitoti, a long serving Vice President of Kenya.Saitoti died in a fateful helicopter crash shortly after take off that killed everyone on board including Orwa Ojode as the helicopter, careened in the air and crashed in Ngong forest before bursting into flames. Anyone who could have survived the crash could not have survived the fire. While it is easy to dismiss this as just a mere accident, Saitoti's life is very telling towards the unfortunate accident. After being the Vice President to Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi for 13 years, he was almost an automatic predecessor to the presidency after Moi's retirement. One fine morning, Moi would openly declare and recommend Uhuru Kenyatta as his predecessor saying he finally found someone who could fit the position. During his speech, he used the now infamous Kenyan phrase "tosha" which he posed as a question, "si huyu kijana ana tosha?" Amidst the excitement, everyone in the meeting cheered in approval. This led to Saitoti's memorable declaration that "there comes a time when the life of the nation is more important than that of an individual". Seemingly, Saitoti had resigned to fate in this emotional goodbye.Later on, Raila at Uhuru Park would declare "Kibaki tosha" as a ploy by the now united opposition to outdo Moi's "tosha" declaration of Uhuru for the presidency. NARC, led by Mwai Kibaki, would go ahead to win the elections and Saitoti would retreat honourably planning for a comeback. He finally became a minister in Kibaki's regime. However, a close scrutiny of his life shows that Saitoti lived in fear for his life. He wore a bulletproof vest at all times and was quite keen on his own security and safety. He mentioned that some people were after his life. Notably, Saitoti died shortly before elections in 2013. He had a big influence on the Maasai community politically and was a force to reckon with. And this begs the question, could someone have assassinated George Saitoti to get him out of the way? Was Saitoti an unwilling player in the high-stakes political power games? We mourn a great soldier today, a gallant statesman, nonchalant firm leader, Major General Nkaiserry who died in almost similar circumstances. At only 67, his death mirrors that of Saitoti. Rest in peace Major General Nkaiserry.