The helicopter assigned to Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, on Monday, August 10, developed mechanical issues.
According to initial reports by the Daily Nation, the aircraft was scheduled to ferry the CS from Kericho to Nairobi.
However, the pilot was forced to cancel the flight plans following the technical glitch.
CS Kagwe had spent the last weekend touring the Western part of Kenya checking up on the level of Covid-19 preparedeness across various counties in the region.
His trip culminated in his final Covid-19 briefing in the region from Kericho where 492 new cases were recorded bringing the total case load in the country to 26,928.
Over the years, various incidents involving government-owned aircrafts have raised several safety concerns on their maintenance and procurement processes.
On July 13, a Kenya Army helicopter on a training flight crashed at Kithyoko in Machakos County, killing two army officers.
Wreckage of the chopper showed a completely damaged cockpit and broken rotor blades.
Reports revealed that the helicopter was one of six acquired from the United States in January 2020, through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
The crash came barely a month after an AgustaWestland AW119 chopper registration number 5Y NPW on June 13, crashed at a farm in Kaithe Kithoka, Meru County.
Witnesses, at the time, stated that the plane might have developed mechanical problems, resulting in the crash.
The National Police Service (NPS) confirmed that there were two pilots and four passengers aboard who were taken to the Meru Level 5 Hospital.
