Medical plane bound for Somaliland crashes near Nairobi, killing at least six
Thursday August 7, 2025
Rescuers search through the wreckage at the site where a Kenyan medical plane crashed on the outskirts of Nairobi on August 7, 2025. [Simon Maina/AFP]
NAIROBI, Kenya (HOL) — An air ambulance bound for Hargeisa, Somaliland, crashed into a residential neighbourhood outside Kenya’s capital on Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring two others, authorities said.
The Cessna Citation XLS, operated by Amref Flying Doctors, departed Nairobi’s Wilson Airport at 2:17 p.m. local time and went down in Mwihoko, Kiambu County, shortly after 3 p.m., according to Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula. The crash site is near a military base, prompting a rapid response from soldiers, police, and emergency crews.
Wafula said four of the victims, two doctors and two nurses, were aboard the aircraft. Two others died when the plane struck their home. The injured, both on the ground, were taken to hospital with serious wounds.
Witnesses reported the jet appeared to be in distress before it burst into flames midair. “The plane started burning while in the air before it hit the building,” resident Tasha Wanjira told AFP. Another witness, Irene Wangui, said the aircraft shook her building as it passed overhead and that “there were body parts littered all over” after the crash.
Margaret Wairimu, whose house was destroyed, said she was thankful her children were not home. “I have lost everything,” she said, weeping as neighbours tried to comfort her.
Amref confirmed ownership of the aircraft and said it was “cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts.” Founded in 1957 as the Flying Doctors of East Africa, the Nairobi-based organization provides emergency medical evacuation services across the region.
Kenya Red Cross teams joined rescue efforts, and investigators from Kenya’s aviation authority and security agencies were deployed to determine the cause of the crash. Authorities cordoned off the area as fire crews extinguished the blaze and residents gathered behind barricades to watch the operation.
