NAIROBI- Somalia President has invited Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to investigate an aircraft accident involving a Kenyan plane cargo in Baidoa.
In a phone call to President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, Mohamed Farmaajo expressed his regret and conveyed condolences for the loss of life and property as a result of the aircraft crash in Bardale area, Somalia, on Monday, May 4.
“President Mohamed Abdullahi informed President Kenyatta that he had instructed Somalia’s civil aviation authorities to immediately mount an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash of this aircraft which was supporting humanitarian operations in the country,” a statement by the Ministry o Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
“In this regard, President Farmaajo invited the Kenyan civil aviation authorities to team with their Somalia counterparts with a view to completing the investigations expeditiously,” the statement further noted.
Uhuru thanked Farmaajo for the call and undertook to convey his condolences to the families of the two crew members who perished in the aircraft crash.
He also welcomed President Farmaajo’s invitation to Kenya’s civil aviation authorities to join in the investigation into the aircraft crash emphasizing the need to “swiftly, but thoroughly conclude the process”.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday confirmed that a Kenyan-registered aircraft, 5Y-AXO, belonging to African Express, crashed in in Somalis as it approached the airport on Monday.
KCAA Director General Captain Gilbert Kibe n a statement said the plane crashed under unclear circumstances. Unconfirmed reports indicate it was shot down by Ethiopia forces.
Kibe said the plane departed Mogadishu with medical supplies headed for Baidoa.
Somalia’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in a statement on Monday confirmed the aircraft was operating as a cargo flight from Baidoa to Bardale.
It said the government was conducting thorough investigations and will publish the findings in a timely manner.
Kenya and Somalia have had a murky diplomatic relationship in the last four years over territorial and domestic politics interference claims.
