Dennis Itumbi recounts terrifying day he feared Jacque Maribe had died
By Steve Ireri, September 5, 2025Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination Dennis Itumbi has recounted a harrowing day when he feared that journalist Jacque Maribe had perished in a helicopter crash.
Speaking during an interview with the Off The Grid podcast on Thursday, September 4, 2025, Itumbi said the terrifying incident unfolded while he was in Nakuru.
He recalled receiving alarming reports that a helicopter carrying Maribe and her team, who were covering a campaign event, had been involved in a serious accident.
“There is a day now that I almost thought we had lost Jackie. That she was dead. So we were in Nakuru, and I get this call: there is a crash, and the chopper was the same Jackie, and the team of journalists was ferrying them for campaign coverage,” Itumbi recalled.
Itumbi described the panic and disbelief that gripped him, noting that he had seen Maribe just the night before and could not imagine losing her so suddenly.
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He attempted to reach her multiple times, but his calls failed to go through, intensifying his anxiety as he struggled to get accurate information amid the chaos.
During that period of uncertainty, Itumbi said he feared the worst, convinced that Maribe could have died.
“And I was like I just saw this girl last night. It cannot be that she is dead. I remember that that was one of the most anxious phone calls that I ever made. And the line was off, it was not going through,” he added.
Relief only came when Maribe managed to send a message confirming that she and her team were safe, putting an end to his moment of sheer terror.
He reflected on the experience as one of the most anxious moments he has ever faced, emphasising how emotionally challenging it was to be unable to reach a close friend in a potentially life-threatening situation.
“So, fortunately for me, I think in that whole confusion of things, she saw that I had tried to call her, but she sent a message and said we are okay. And I was okay.”
Maribe also shed light on the incident, explaining that the difficulty in contacting her was due to her phone line being overwhelmed with calls from well-wishers following the news of the crash.
She added that the intense online reaction to the reports had been frightening, describing how people had killed her online in the frenzy of misinformation and speculation.
“They killed me online, by the way. So the reason Itumbi was not finding me when he tried to call was because my line was jammed as many people were trying to reach me at the same time following the news,” Maribe recalled.