Peace mission tragedy

Six MPs and a bishop all on a mission of peace were among 14 people who died after their plane crashed at Marsabit yesterday.

The military aircraft slammed into a hillside and broke into two before bursting into flames, as the pilot made a second attempt to land in heavy fog.

 

Thirteen of the 17 passengers and crew on board were killed on impact and one of the four survivors died while being flown to hospital in Nairobi.

All the survivors, who were dragged from the blazing wreckage by onlookers waiting to receive the high-powered delegation, suffered terrible injuries including severed limbs and severe burns.

They had been on their way to peace talks aimed at ending livestock rustling and inter-clan fighting which last year left 90 people dead.

Among the first on the scene, aid worker Daniel Damocha, reported: "The plane was in pieces. As l was climbing the hill, l heard a scream which was abruptly cut short.

"When l got to the site, l was about five metres away, l could hear someone banging from the inside of the plane. Then it went quiet. The fire was too fierce and l could not get any closer. There were several loud pops. It was like gunshots and we could not go any nearer."

A rescuer at the scene of yesterday's crash in Marsabit.
Photo/Reuters

And he went on: "We just watched helplessly as the fire got too intense. We could not get any closer. It is the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. To stand helplessly and watch as friends, people l knew, die in such a way."

President Kibaki expressed his shock at the accident and ordered two planes to the crash site on an immediate search and rescue operation.

In a nationwide television address he announced that those killed in the crash were assistant ministers Mirugi Kariuki and Titus Ngoyoni; Dr Bonaya Godana who was deputy Leader of the Official Opposition, MPs Guracha Galgalo and Abdi Sasura and regional Assembly member Abdullahi Adan.

Also killed were Bishop William Waqo, the Anglican assistant bishop for Kirinyaga, who is also a personal assistant to Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, Eastern provincial police chief Thomas Chigamba, an assistant secretary in the office of the President Mr G.M Sianga and the deputy head of the National Security Intelligence Service for the Eastern region, Mr John Ouma. 

Moyale District Commissioner Peter King'ola had died on the way to hospital, while others killed in the crash were the capplane's captain and co-pilot, Maj David Macharia Njoroge and Capt. Joseph Njogu Muriithi, and police constable Yusuf Guyo.

The survivors were Eastern Provincial Commissioner Patrick Osare, and two crew members; senior sergeant Joseph Muriithi and senior private Trevor Mwamunge. 

The President Kibaki declared three days of official mourning.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Francis ole Kaparo announced that Parliament will meet briefly today and then adjourn to mourn the dead.

It will be only the second time the House has disrupted business because of the death of a member; the first time being in 1975 when Nyandarua North MP Josiah Mwangi Kariuki was murdered.

Kanu Secretary general William Ruto described the accident as a great loss to the party.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said initial investigations showed the cause of the accident to be bad weather.

The aircraft, a Chinese built Y-12 had taken off from Nairobi's Moi Air Base, Eastleigh, at 9am for the northern Kenyan town on the one hour flight. Department of Defence sources said the plane had delayed landing.

Witnesses said the weather was foggy as the plane approached the Marsabit airstrip. The pilot aborted his first attempt and circled the town before making another attempt to land at the military airstrip, when the plane appeared to fly directly into a hillside. 

It hit the ground and broke into two before bursting into flames. 

People waiting to receive the delegation rushed to the scene but were only able to pull out four of the 17 people on board.

Accident investigators placed a two-kilometre exclusion zone around the wreckage as began the painstaking task of recording details and measurements. 

Efforts to recover the badly burnt bodies was made treacherous by the steepness of the hill. Footpaths leading to the accident scene were muddy from the heavy rains that had pounded the area the previous night.

Vice President Moody Awori who had travelled to Kilifi District in a plane similar to the one which crashed said he had received the news with shock and disbelief. Mr Awori called on constituents in areas whose MPs had died in the crash to remain calm as the Government investigated.

Another plane, this time a Kenya Air Force VIP type Dash-8 aircraft was sent from Nairobi to collect Mr Awori and his team from Kilifi where he had presided over an education function.

For the Anglican Church it was tragedy repeated since Bishop Waqo's predecessor had himself been killed in a plane crash 10 years ago on another peace mission.

In a tragic twist of events, Dr Godana had then surrendered his seat to Bishop Andrew Tuya, who had pleaded not to be left behind because he had a busy schedule awaiting him in Kirinyaga. The plane crashed killing Bishop Tuya and Dr Godana's generous gesture in giving up his seat saw him survive ... until yesterday.