Peace mission tragedy

Last week it was just a drill, unfortunately today we were not so lucky. 14 people, among them several members of parliament and government officials, were killed when a military aircraft crashed as it prepared to land on an airstrip near the northern Kenyan town of Marsabit on Monday.

This is sad news indeed. The group were travelling to the region to mediate in a bloody feud between rival communities near the border with Ethiopia. These were men on a vital peace mission to an area of our country that has had more than its share of turmoil.

Among the dead are four MPs from the area including Dr. Bonaya Godana one of the most effective Foreign Ministers Kenya has ever had, who luckily escaped a aircraft crash at the same airstrip in Marsabit around 10 years ago. A political vacuum has been created. It is vital that what is left of law and order and the fabric of society in that region is not allowed to filter away. How the government handles this will shape the region and the relationship between northern Kenya and the rest of the country for decades.

While it is not useful to speculate on the cause of the crash without knowing the facts we have to recognise that big accidents in Kenya seem to be increasing. A few months ago after the rescue mission following a building which collapsed in Nairobi was brought to a close the Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga said, “There are very important lessons to be learnt here. Similar lessons have been learnt in the past. We cannot be students forever. It’s time to take action that will enable us to respond faster in future.”

Indeed.