Retired military pilot James Gitahi Nguyo was settling into his life away from the skies after flying for 44 years when he met his untimely death along the Mombasa Highway on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
However, even in his tragic death which resulted in him getting burnt beyond recognition, his illustrious career while in the military and as a commercial flight pilot stands out for all and sundry.
Gitahi who has advocated for gratitude in life during his past speeches met his death after hitting an oncoming truck head-on, the impact of which set his car on fire as he witnessed life flashing before his very eyes.
“Every time you breathe, give thanks to God because you do not know what is in store for you,” he implored.
In the more than 40 years in the skies, Gitahi was proud to have flown two sitting presidents during his days in the military, only to lose his life on the road.
VIP squadron pilot
In May 2023 when he retired from flying commercial planes, Gitahi had the privilege of being at the centre of VIP flights where he flew the late President Daniel Moi and his successor Mwai Kibaki.
In earlier interviews, Gitahi observed the differences between the two presidents when he had the honour of being their first-choice pilot.
He revealed that Moi was outgoing in nature and could not sit on one seat during a flight. Gitahi stated that the former head of state would walk all over the plane catching up with his passengers and occasionally checking into the cockpit to ask where they were at the time.
Different personalities
“While on the plane, Moi was never seated on one seat. He would move around greeting different people. On some occasions he came to the cockpit enquiring where we were,” Gitahi stated in an earlier interview.
He equally noted that Moi was generous and would often give the flight crew tokens of appreciation.
However, Gitahi revealed that Kibaki was the opposite. He would sit and consume information from magazines and newspapers during his flight. For that matter, Gitahi stated that they would stock various newspapers and magazines on the plane.
“If I look at President Kibaki, he was a quiet man, basically he used to read a lot of magazines and newspapers. We used to ensure that we have enough stock in the aircraft.”
After taking over from a fellow retired colonel Hussein Farrah who retired during the Moi era, Gitahi thanked the veteran pilot in 2023 when he retired.
“The person who took me on my first familiarization flight was Colonel Farrah. If he had not taken me up, I don’t think I would be here,” Gitahi said during his last commercial flight.
“He really set the ball rolling and for that I thank him very much.”
During the emotional retirement from flying, Farrah reminisced about his first encounter with Gitahi as a flight student in the military.
“44 years ago when he joined the airforce as a student pilot, I was an instructor in the flying school so I have known him for 44 years,” Farrah stated.
Gitahi also prided himself on being the first pilot of the current presidential jet used by President William Ruto for overseas trips.
“The presidential jet that we have today, I am the one who brought it from Holland, and I used to fly it before I left,” Gitahi revealed during an earlier interview.
At the time of his retirement, Gitahi revealed that he had clocked 220 presidential flights, having flown the late former Presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki.
He is survived by his wife Senator Betty Batuli Montet and his children.
