KIAMBU, Kenya – Six people were killed and at least two others injured on Wednesday afternoon when a light aircraft operated by AMREF Flying Doctors crashed in a residential area of Mwihoko, Kiambu County.
The Cessna Citation XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, went down shortly after taking off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi at 2:17 p.m., en route to Hargeisa, Somalia.
It was carrying four crew members — two doctors and two nurses — all of whom died in the crash, along with two civilians on the ground, Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula confirmed.
At least two other people sustained injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said the organization was cooperating with aviation authorities and emergency teams to determine the cause of the accident.
“At this time, we are cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation,” he said in a statement.
A multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service was deployed to the crash site, where rescue and recovery operations continued into the evening.
The area has been sealed off as investigators from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and other agencies probe the incident.
The cause of the crash remains unclear.
