Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Davis Chirchir has established a special team to probe accidents involving Kenyan aircraft in Somalia and South Sudan. The team was gazetted on April 24 under Section 53(4) of the Civil Aviation Act. It will review reports from the past five years and recommend safety measures.
Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir gazetted the Aircraft Accident Investigation Team on April 24, invoking powers under Section 53(4) of the Civil Aviation Act, Cap. 394. The notice states: “IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 53 (4) of the Civil Aviation Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport establishes the Aircraft Accident Investigation Team.”
Captain Peter Maranga chairs the team, with Fredrick Kabunge as co-chairperson and Engineer Fredrick Aggrey Opot as vice-chairperson. Other members include Captain Nduati Herman Njama, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Mike Mulwa, Ephantus Kamau, Captain Valentine Wendoh, and James Mwangi. Joint secretaries are Brenda Mwango, Mathias Ombasa, and Albert Mwangeka.
The team's mandate covers reviewing preliminary accident reports on Kenyan-registered or operated aircraft from Somalia and South Sudan over the last five years. It will investigate related issues, examine data and materials, conduct interviews, and co-opt experts as needed.
This follows incidents such as the March 2025 crash of a DHC-5D Buffalo near Mogadishu killing five Kenyan crew, and a November 2025 cargo plane crash in South Sudan's Unity State killing three including a Kenyan. The team has two months from gazettement to submit its report with safety recommendations to the CS.
