Malindi families affected by aircraft accident demand compensation for their dead kin.

By Reporter

Families of three people who died in a light aircraft accident at Kwa Chocha area near Malindi International airport in Kilifi County want to be compensated.

Three people including two motorcycle riders and a pillion passenger from Ganda ward were on their way to Malindi town when the ill-fated Cessna 174 plane crushed on them. Three occupants of the plane survived with minor injuries.

There was a sombre mood at the home of 36 year old Felix Khamisi who was one of the victims of the accident and who has left behind a 26 year old widow with two children aged seven and one and a half years.

He was the founding member of Ganda Boda Boda Sacco (GABBSA) that was inititiated by Ganda ward Member of County assembly (MCA) Oscar Wanje and has 300 members.

Wanje challenged the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to initiate compensation plans for the families of the deceased.

He also called on the government to execute expansion plans of the Malindi International Airport runaway saying that the shorter runway might have been the cause of the crush since the ill fated aircraft had just taken off from the airport headed for Wilson airport in Nairobi.

“When I got the information of his demise, I started following up on the process of compensation for the three deceased persons and I promise you that I will ensure that compensation is made,” he said.

“We have been calling for the expansion of the airport for decades and let this accident be the last and an eye opener for the government to implement the expansion plans because tomorrow a large aircraft will cause an accident here and create a much bigger disaster. The runway is so short that even the small Jambojet plane finds it hard to land,” he added.

Loyce Neema Reuben, the wife of the late Khamisi said that she was devastated of her husband’s death noting that she has now been left a widow at a young age of 26 years.

“My children are asking me where their dad is and I am left wondering what to tell them. It is very painful for me since I don’t know what they will eat and how they will be educated because I was a house wife and he was planning to open a small business for me,” I am in pain and if the government can even take over the responsibilities of educating the children, I will be grateful,” she said.

Lucas Mwambogo Ngumbao, the uncle to the deceased said that they accompanied authorities in conducting postmortem to the deceased person and the report revealed that he was killed by the aircraft.

“The postmortem report we were given revealed that parts of the aircraft hit him on the head and on the ribs and affected the heart and the lady passenger was struck by another aircraft part that dismembered her head,” he said.

The assistant chief of Ganda sub location Ann Ziro warned boda boda riders planning to collect money from members of the public by blocking roads to desist from doing so and seek her help so that they can collect the money in a structured manner.

“We are in a mourning mood but I want to urge our boda boda youth to seek my help when they want to collect money for their deceased friend because they usually block roads and disrupt traffic before forcing people to give them money,” she said.