On 10 April 2006, a Kenya Air Force Harbin Y-12 II operating as Flight I-32, flying from Nairobi to Marsabit, Kenya, crashed into Mount Marsabit in bad weather as it was approaching Marsabit airstrip a second time after aborting its first attempt, killing 14 of the 17 occupants on board, including a number of politicians. The flight to the region was carrying a peace delegation meant to mediate regional feuds, which were exacerbated by a food crisis. In the aftermath of the accident, multiple politicians expressed their condolences, with three days of national mourning declared.
The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in Kenya since the crash of a Swearingen Metroliner in July 2003, killing all 14 occupants on board, and the first involving government officials since the crash of a Grumman Gulfstream I in January 2003.
An investigation led by the Kenyan Air Force concluded that poor visibility and bad weather led to the aircraft crashing into the volcano.
Background Purpose of the flight
The flight to the region, carrying a peace delegation, was meant to mediate regional feuds between the nomadic communities of the Borana, Gabra, and Rendille people at the Ethiopia–Kenya border. Incidents such as livestock rustling and inter-clan fighting left 90 people dead in 2005 alone; most notably from the Turbi massacre, on 12 July 2005, as a result of differences between the Gabra and Borana people, 1,000 people from the Borana armed with machetes and AK-47s had broken into a Gabra school in Turbi, killing around 90 people, including more than 20 children and 50 villagers, in addition to displacing 7,500 people.
In the months preceding the accident, additional tensions and fighting had broken out due to a scarcity of resources, including water, grazing land, and food, mostly caused by a food crisis in the region, which was exacerbated by the lack of winter rains for five consecutive seasons. Furthermore, militia groups suspected of being part of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), also accused of participating in the Turbi Massacre, were attacking Kenyans living along the border. Following "revenge attacks", the Government of Kenya sent reinforcements to the area. The Kenyan Government was accused of contributing to the region's tensions, among others in the country, citing corruption, its failure to equally and adequately distribute its resources, and secure conflict ridden districts.
The planned peace talks, which were scheduled to be held at Marsabit's Pastoral Centre, represented the first time that the leaders of the Borana, Gabra, and Rendille people had agreed to initiate peace talks and come up with a comprehensive peace program after years of hostilities. Local church leaders had tried to reduce the ongoing tensions, albeit with mixed success. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki stated that Mirugi Kariuki, a Member of Parliament (MP) and assistant minister of Internal Security, "personally told me that it was a challenge to see what it is that makes these people not be friends, and he was determined to have them reconcile".
Aircraft and crew The aircraft involved in the accident, manufactured in 2000, was a six-year-old twin-engine turboprop Harbin Y-12 II registered as 132. The aircraft had 1,032 hours of flying time and was last serviced in February 2006, and was reportedly always serviced according to schedule. According to military spokesman Bogita Ongeri and General Staff Daudi Tonje, the aircraft was properly maintained and had not experienced any issues. It was one of six Harbin Y-12s to be imported from China in July 2000, during a ceremony held at Moi Air Base, with the aircraft involved being delivered on 10 July 2000.
The Harbin Y-12, whose development began in 1980, is a 17-seat twin propeller light multi-purpose STOL aircraft that is produced by the Chinese Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had already been certified in dozens of countries and was awaiting certification in countries such as France and Canada.
The crew consisted of the pilot-in-command, Major David Macharia Njoroge, who had more than 2,000 hours of flying experience and was promoted to the rank of Major the year before, having joined the Kenyan Army in July 1997, the co-pilot, Captain Joseph Njogu Muriithi, Senior Sergeant and Air Force flight engineer Joseph Muriithi, and Senior Private Trevor Mwamunge. Joseph Muriithi and Trevor Mwamunge were both seated at the back of the plane.
Accident
The aircraft, operating as Flight I-32, was scheduled to fly from Moi Air Base, Nairobi, to Marsabit airstrip. Journalists were to accompany the flight but were declined by a senior government official. The passengers were at the airport by 06:00 am. At 09:00 am local time, the aircraft took off from Moi Air Base. According to the Kenya Meteorology Department, weather at Marsabit was expected to include rainy and misty conditions. As the flight approached the airstrip, the pilot-in-command decided to abort the landing due to the presence of heavy fog and proceeded to circle around Marsabit. At around 10 am, as the pilots attempted a second approach, the flight crashed into Mount Marsabit in the Marsabit National Park, away from the airstrip. The aircraft broke into two and burst into flames.
A local resident stated that there was a big fire and that only the tail and small parts of the wings were left unburnt. Four occupants were thrown out of the aircraft when it crashed. Out of the 17 occupants on board, 4 passengers initially survived the accident being seriously injured, but 1, Peter King'ola, later succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a hospital in Nairobi. All three survivors were seated at the back of the aircraft. Marsabit district commissioner Mutea Iringo stated that "The fire was very intense and there is no way anyone else could have survived." Joseph Mureithi, one of the survivors, stated: "I was unconscious for a few minutes, but all of a sudden, I regained consciousness. I did not know where I was and the first thing I asked myself is, who has stepped on me? I only realised later that my left leg was broken...".
Member of Parliament and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bonaya Godana, and Anglican Assistant bishop of Kirinyaga William Waqo died in the crash.
The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in Kenya since the crash of a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II on Mount Kenya on 19 July 2003, killing all 14 occupants on board, and was the first aviation accident involving government officials since the crash of a Grumman G-159 Gulfstream I on 24 January 2003, killing 3 of the 12 occupants on board, including Labour Minister Ahmed Khalif and the two pilots, Abdikadir Mahat and Samuel Mungai. The survivors included ministers Martha Karua, Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju, and former minister Linah Kilimo, among other dignitaries.
Aftermath Recovery efforts As part of the rescue and recovery missions, the Kenyan government sent two planes to assist in the efforts, with the Kenya Wildlife Service also sending a plane to evacuate the injured. The government also sent a search and rescue team. Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Farid Abdulkadir, head of disaster operations for the Kenya Red Cross Society stated that "Of those who were on board, we only managed to take four people to hospital – It was a very bad crash. We are trying to get body bags there. – My workers on the ground are trying to pull out bodies from the wreckage."
On 11 April, it was reported that plans to bury two of the victims were abandoned as pathologists had difficulties in identifying the bodies. By 12 April, Chief Government pathologist Moses Njue had managed to identify seven out of thirteen bodies. By 13 April, it was reported that all of the bodies had been identified. Later on, all the victims' bodies were flown to Nairobi for further analysis and identification. The Kenyan Government paid for all the funeral expenses of the 14 victims of the crash.
Reactions Kenya's President, Mwai Kibaki, issued a statement appealing for calm and prayers, adding that he had received the news with shock and disbelief, especially since the delegation of officials onboard the plane were headed to a peace mission in Marsabit. He also wished the injured survivors a quick recovery. Kenyan Vice President Moody Awori called the crash "a national tragedy". Three days of national mourning were declared by Mwai Kibaki. Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin expressed their condolences. In an editorial published by opposition newspaper Kenya Times on 11 April, the Kenyan leaders who had been killed in the crash were characterized as "martyrs of peace".
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Francis ole Kaparo, announced that Parliamentary activities were adjourned until the funeral of the victims was over. This was the second time that the Parliament was disrupted by the death of a Minister of Parliament; the first time being in 1975 when Josiah Mwangi Kariuki was murdered. The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya observed a one-minute silence. Multiple Kenyan politicians expressed their condolences. Kenyan members of parliament "called for unity of purpose among leaders in providing lasting peace and tranquility to Kenyans."
Dawud Ibsa Ayana, the chairman of the Oromo Liberation Front, expressed his condolences "on behalf of [him]self and [his] organization; the Oromo Liberation Front, and the Oromo people on the tragic plane accident that took the lives of those outstanding Kenyan public leaders...". Speaking to mourners at All Saints' Cathedral, Nairobi, Mwai Kibaki stated, "I personally have felt the loss of Mirugi immensely because I thought of him as a person who would do the work". Rhoda Siang'a, the wife of Gilbert Siang'a, stated: "Were it not for insecurity in the northern region of the country, my husband would not be dead. What a shame that he died in the process of brokering peace 40 years after independence."
The accident dealt a major blow to peace efforts in the region. A United Nations official stated that it would be difficult to be able to find new individuals who would have the same level of influence and expertise as those in the peace delegation. Marc Cassady, an advisor to Parliament, stated, "These were the powerbrokers of this part of Kenya," adding that, "Essentially, this wiped out a regional political class." All sitting MPs from the districts of Marsabit and Moyale were killed in the crash. Public concern about the country's air safety arose following the accident, considering that two plane crashes involving senior members of the government occurred in less than three years. The crash is considered one of the most devastating aviation accidents in Kenya's history.
On 12 April, Kibaki ordered a crackdown on crime, stating at a funeral service for seven of the victims that "All the state machinery will be mobilised to crack down on criminals who have been engaging in cattle rustling".
Investigation