A Kenyan air ambulance crashed into a residential area minutes after takeoff from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport on Friday, killing all four medical personnel onboard and two people on the ground.
The Cessna Citation Excel (5Y-MDN), operated by AMREF Flying Doctors, was bound for Hargeisa, Somaliland, carrying two doctors and two nurses on a humanitarian mission.
Eyewitnesses described conflicting scenes: some reported flames mid-air, while others claimed the aircraft struck power lines during low-altitude flight. The crash in Kiambu County’s residential zone drew immediate response from nearby military personnel, police, and disaster teams. Two survivors were rescued with injuries, but six lives were lost.
Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has launched an urgent investigation, hampered by the missing flight data recorder. “There’s real fear someone may have picked up the black box unknowingly,” said journalist Dennis Aseto, who broke the story on Asaase Radio. Authorities publicly appealed for its return, warning the device resembles scrap metal but holds vital crash clues.
The tragedy echoes Ghana’s recent military helicopter disaster, reigniting continental concerns over air safety protocols. Asaase Breakfast Show host Kwaku Nhyira Addo questioned whether African nations learn from past failures: “Or are we trapped in a cycle of grief and neglect?” His words mirrored criticisms by Ghana’s forensic academy president, Pet-Paul Wepeba, who highlighted systemic gaps in crash scene management after the Z-9 incident.
With investigations stalled pending the black box recovery, aviation experts stress transparent findings could prevent future tragedies. For now, families await answers and Kenya mourns another preventable loss.
