Family of Headteacher Killed in Malindi Plane Crash Demand Compensation

The family of the headteacher who was among the three people killed by a light aircraft in Kilifi County has revealed her last moments before his untimely death.

Naomi Nyiro, a headteacher at Mashamba Primary School, was heading home from work when she met her bizarre yet tragic end.

According to the late Naomi’s husband, nothing was out of the ordinary on the fateful day until he tried reaching out to his wife.

“I made a phone call looking for her. They answered telling me she was no more. We arrived at the scene and were informed her body had already been transferred to the mortuary,” he said.

Naomi’s son further revealed that the family was informed that she suffered from a neck injury which ultimately led to her death.

“We received news she was involved in an accident. We’re told the aircraft cut her on the neck,” the son revealed.

The 64-year-old’s death comes as a big blow to the family, who solely depended on her as the breadwinner.

Further, the security guard at Mashamba Primary School revealed Naomi’s incident was a bizarre case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’, since she left work at an unusual hour to attend to other issues.

“She said she had an emergency trip and requested me to take up any issues I had with the deputy headteacher otherwise, I could talk to her on Monday. When I opened the gate I did not know we were bidding goodbye permanently.”

Through their spokesperson, the family is now calling for speedy investigations and compensation from the owners of the aircraft.

The aircraft, a Cessna 172 operated by Kenya Aeronautical College crash landed after reportedly developing a technical hitch, forcing it to descend on the Malindi-Mombasa highway.

Besides Naomi, two bodaboda riders also lost their lives, taking the total tally to three. One of the riders was burnt beyond recognition.

According to Kenya Airports Authority Safety Manager George Otieno, “This was a routine training flight that usually operates from Malindi, conducting circuits around Malindi and Watamu. It is unclear what went wrong, but their attempt to land back at runway 8 of Malindi Airport was unsuccessful.”