Ecuador President Noboa pays emotional tribute to friends killed in Kenya chopper crash
By Steve Ireri, August 20, 2026Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Azin has promised to stand by the children of his intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi after the official and his wife were killed in the Samburu helicopter crash that claimed seven lives.
In an emotional tribute shared on Facebook on Thursday, August 20, 2026, Noboa said the accident in Kenya had taken away not only two of his friends but also people he considered family.
“The accident in Kenya took away two friends from me, but above all it took away two people who were family to us,” Noboa wrote in a message shared on Thursday.
“Michele was by my side through some of the most difficult times over the years,” the Ecuadorian president wrote.
He described the intelligence chief as “loyal, brave and firm”, saying Sensi-Contugi had accompanied him without hesitation when he had to make difficult decisions.
“He was irreplaceable in the battles we fought together and it leaves a huge void in all that we need to fill,” Noboa said.
The president, however, stressed that his relationship with Sensi-Contugi extended beyond their work in government.
“But our story was never just about work,” he wrote.
“With them we share life. The good times, the difficult days, the conversations left between us, the laughter and that trust that only exists when friends stop being friends and become family.”
Noboa said he was still struggling to comprehend that Sensi-Contugi and his wife were gone.
“I still find it hard to understand that they are gone,” he wrote.
The president then turned his attention to the two children the couple left behind, making a personal commitment to ensure they would continue to receive support following the deaths of both parents.
He said he knew how deeply the children were loved by their parents and understood the hopes and dreams their mother and father had for them. As parents, Lavinia and I know that there was nothing more important to them than their children. We know how much they were loved and all they dreamed of, and as long as we are here, they will never be alone,” he wrote.
Noboa then called on those around him to help care for the children in the same way Sensi-Contugi and his wife would have cared for their own families.
“Let’s take care of them and be with them as we know they would for ours,” he said.
The Ecuadorian president ended his tribute by acknowledging the permanence of the loss.
“We will miss them for a lifetime and carry them with us always,” Noboa wrote.
The tragedy has since triggered an outpouring of grief in Ecuador, where Sensi-Contugi was a senior government official and a close political ally of Noboa.
Who was Michele Sensi-Contugi?
Sensi-Contugi was the Director General of Ecuador’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (CIES), a powerful position that placed him at the centre of the country’s national-security apparatus.
He was appointed to head the intelligence agency by Noboa in January 2024, shortly after the president came to power.
His appointment came at a particularly turbulent period in Ecuador, as the government confronted serious security challenges and sought to strengthen its intelligence capabilities.
Sensi-Contugi was regarded as a close ally and trusted figure within Noboa’s administration.
He had also briefly served as Ecuador’s Minister of Government before returning to the intelligence leadership.
Before entering government, Sensi-Contugi had built a career in the private sector and was described as a businessman from a prominent Tuscan family.
He held Italian and Ecuadorian citizenship, giving him ties to both countries.
At the time of his death, he was 44 years old.
Kenya vacay
Sensi-Contugi had travelled to Kenya with his wife for what was described as a holiday and wildlife safari.
The couple were among six passengers aboard a Eurocopter EC130 B4 operated by Lady Lori Helicopters.
The aircraft had departed from the Loisaba area and was travelling towards Ewaso Nyiro for a scenic flight when it crashed at about 9:13 am on Wednesday near the foothills of Mount Ololokwe.
The rugged terrain and fire at the crash site complicated the recovery operation.
The Kenya Red Cross said emergency teams were working alongside other responders to access the site and recover the victims.
All seven people aboard the helicopter died.
Among those killed was Sensi-Contugi’s wife, Stephany Hollihan Yeaza, a 42-year-old fashion designer who held US and Ecuadorian citizenship.
The crash also claimed the lives of American media executive José Alberto Suárez, Miami restaurateur Roger Duarte and other passengers, as well as Kenyan pilot Captain Josh Outram.