Kenyan minister killed in crash Helicopter crash kills Kenyan minister Link to this video Kenya's internal security minister was killed along with five other people in a helicopter crash near Nairobi on Sunday, the vice president said. George Saitoti and his deputy, Orwa Ojode, were among those killed when a police helicopter crashed on the outskirts of the capital, vice president Kalonzo Musyoka said. Two pilots and two bodyguards were also killed in the crash, officials said. The death of Saitoti is a "great tragedy that has befallen our country at this time as we are making elaborate preparations to hold peaceful elections," prime minister Raila Odinga said at the scene of the crash. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. . "As we speak now, nobody knows the cause of the accident," Odinga said. Saitoti and Ojode were on their way to a political event in eastern Kenya. Saitoti, an American-trained economist and mathematician, was a deputy to former president Daniel arap Moi for over a decade. As security minister he was the government's spokesman on security matters including Kenya's decision to send troops to Somalia last year. Analysts say he played a key role in that decision. Saitoti often appeared on national television to reassure the public in the aftermath of deadly attacks blamed on the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. Saitoti announced last year that he would seek the Kenyan presidency in 2013. Odinga said the helicopter crash on Sunday morning was similar to an incident four years ago in which two Kenyan cabinet ministers died in a plane crash.