A tragic plane crash in the Kendong Ranch range area near Naivasha has claimed the lives of two people. The incident occurred on Wednesday, January 30, 2025, around 5:30 p.m. when a fixed-wing aeroplane, registered as 5Y-BVL, went down in a remote area roughly 45 kilometers south of Naivasha town.
According to the report filed by Hillary Kirui, a private security guard stationed at Kendong Ranch, the crash was witnessed and quickly reported to authorities. Police officers, DCI personnel, and CSI teams from Naivasha swiftly responded to the scene of the crash to investigate the cause and secure the area.
The victims, identified as Marcus Dunn and his spouse, Ann Dunn, were both Kenyan foreign nationals associated with Farmland Aviation Farm in Naivasha. The two were the sole occupants of the aircraft. Sadly, they were confirmed dead at the scene, having succumbed to the injuries sustained in the crash.
Authorities have initiated recovery efforts to retrieve the bodies, and investigations into the cause of the crash are underway. At this time, it remains unclear what led to the incident, though experts will be examining the wreckage in the coming days.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the Naivasha community, with many expressing condolences to the families of the victims. The Dunns, well known in the local aviation industry, are remembered fondly by those who worked closely with them.
While this latest crash has brought a sense of sorrow, it is not the first time Kenya has experienced a devastating aviation accident.
In 2018, the world witnessed the tragic crash of Lion Air Flight JT610, a Boeing 737 MAX, shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. All 189 people on board were killed. The crash raised significant concerns about the safety of the 737 MAX, leading to a worldwide grounding of the aircraft.
The following year, on March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, also a Boeing 737 MAX, crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people. Like the Lion Air crash, the Ethiopian Airlines incident was attributed to a malfunction in the aircraft’s flight control system, and it contributed to the global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet.
In Kenya, the aviation industry has also seen its share of disasters. In June 2020, a Fly540 passenger plane crashed in the Aberdare Range near Nyeri, Kenya, while en route from Nairobi to Kisumu. Although no fatalities were reported, the crash highlighted the challenges faced by regional airlines operating in mountainous areas and unpredictable weather conditions.
More recently, in November 2022, a Precision Air flight crashed into Lake Victoria shortly before landing at Bukoba Airport in Tanzania. The crash claimed the lives of 19 passengers, though several others survived, and weather conditions played a major role in the incident.
As investigations continue into the cause of the crash in Naivasha, aviation authorities in Kenya are focusing on improving safety standards and conducting regular inspections of aircraft to prevent similar incidents in the future. Further updates on the crash and the recovery operations will be provided as information becomes available.
