Alex Oluka’s father, Leonard Otolim, had barely had time to celebrate his son’s new career when the tragic news of his death arrived, shattering everything.
The 24-year-old flight instructor from Ming Village in Teso North died on Friday, September 18, after the aircraft he was operating crashed at the Kipeto wind farm in Kajiado West.
Oluka and a student he was training both succumbed to their injuries following the accident.
Alex Oluka Carried His Family’s Hopes
For the Otolim household, the grief goes beyond personal loss. Oluka had made firm promises to his family the moment he secured work as a flight instructor.
His father recalled, with visible pain, how his son had pledged to cover the school fees of his younger siblings, a set of twins currently in Grade Seven and Eight, so that education would never be a burden for them.
“His younger ones, twins, are in Grade Seven and Eight, and Alex promised they would not have problems with their education as long as he was alive, and now Alex is no more; now I do not even know what we will do,” Otolim said.
His mother, Everlyn Inait, described the disbelief she felt upon learning of his death. She noted that her son had only recently graduated and had just begun to build the life he had worked so hard for.
“He just graduated recently, and now I am told my son Alex is dead,” she said.
Beyond the family home, the entire Ming Village community is grieving. Oluka was celebrated as the first pilot to emerge from their area, a distinction that made him a source of immense local pride.
Residents described him as academically gifted, disciplined and deeply committed to making a difference, not only for his family but for the broader Teso community.
His ambitions, neighbours said, extended well beyond personal success. He had spoken openly about wanting to uplift those around him and had been seen as a role model for younger residents who dared to dream beyond the village.
The aircraft was reportedly on a training flight when it went down. Both Oluka and the student on board died from their injuries.
For his family and community, the void left by his passing is one they say will not easily be filled. A young man who represented so much possibility is gone, and with him, the futures he had quietly pledged to secure for the people he loved most.
