Plane Carrying Kenyan Politicians Crashes

[icymist]

By TOM MALITI
Associated Press Writer

April 10, 2006, 1:26 PM EDT


NAIROBI, Kenya -- A military plane carrying politicians to a peace conference crashed while attempting to land in northern Kenya during bad weather Monday, killing at least 14 people, including two assistant Cabinet ministers.
snip
He said Minister for Youth Affairs Mohammed Kuti was among the dead, but Minister for Foreign Affairs Raphael Tuju and government spokesman Alfred Mutua insisted that Kuti was not on the plane.

Both men said the other victims included assistant minister for internal security Mirugi Kariuki; assistant minister for regional development authorities Titus Ngoyoni; and the deputy leader of the opposition KANU party, Bonaya Godana.

Another passenger was Abdullahi Adan, a Kenyan member of the East African Legislative Assembly and a retired army general under former President Daniel arap Moi, Kaparo added. The East African Legislative Assembly includes lawmakers from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
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[file83]

1. Any reason to think this may have been a mass assassination?

:tinfoilhat:

[mom cat]

2. So sad. We can't aforad to be losing peace makers.

:cry:

[WhiteTara]

3. 14 Killed as Plane Carrying Kenyan Politicians Crashes

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/10/world/africa/10cnd-kenya.html
I have never figured out why so many people in such important positions would travel all together like that. I wonder how this will affect the politics of their region. This will obviously make things very difficult for awhile

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 10 — A military cargo plane carrying a high-level Kenyan delegation on a peace mission crashed today as it attempted to land in bad weather in the north of the country, killing 14 people, including 5 members of Parliament.

A provincial official and two crew members aboard the Chinese-made Y-12 aircraft were rescued from the crash site, on a hillside near the town of Marsabit. One additional passenger was recovered from the fiery wreckage, but died en route to Nairobi for treatment.

"This is the worst tragedy to hit the National Assembly," said Speaker Francis ole Kaparo, announcing the adjournment of Parliament until all the deceased were buried. "We have lost a lot of good people."
snip
"There was such a big fire," Daniel Lemoille, a local resident who rushed to the scene shortly after the 10 a.m. crash, said in an interview. "The only thing left unburnt was the tail and a little bit of wing."

It was not the first time that a plane has gone down carrying leading politicians. In January 2003, a minister and two pilots were killed when a private plane crashed in western Kenya. Three other government ministers survived and a public inquiry into the accident recommended that no more than three Cabinet ministers or senior government officials should travel on a single plane.

[iconoclastic cat]

4. I'm sure it was really an accident.

Now, would you like to buy some beachfront property in Jacksonville?

[Blackhatjack]

7. Politicians and Planes in Africa are Accidents waiting to happen

How many plane crashes in Africa with politicians onboard does it take before people start to think these are more than coincidences?

[pitohui]

8. well if you ever drive in kenya

driving on the roads there is an accident waiting to happen as well

what the heck is a person to do? it's too far to walk

i am sorry to hear this of this tragedy

[AlamoDemoc]

5. In recent months Kenya's ruling party were marred

by corruption and bribery...so, I wonder if any of the dead victims ere members of the ruling party? And if they are members of the ruling party...this could mean changes in the parliament and potentially political unrest in certain regions.

[David in Canada]

6. Several Prominent NARC Members

Several of the MP's are from the ruling National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). Another person on board was the deputy leader of KANU (Kenyan African National Union) the former ruling party from independence in 1963 to 2001.

Hope this helps :)

[AlamoDemoc]

9. Thank you very much n/t