The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) will provide free DNA testing services to help identify victims of the recent AMREF aircraft crash.
The aircraft, Cessna Citation XLS (5Y-FDM), went down on Thursday shortly after departure from Wilson Airport, resulting in six fatalities, including those on board and others on the ground.
AMREF Flying Doctors confirmed that the victims of the crash were Captain Muthuka Munuve, Captain Brian Kimani Miaro, Dr Charles Mugo Njoroge and Nurse Jane Rispah Aluoch Omusula.
In a statement on Monday, KEMRI Director General Elijah Songok expressed solidarity with the affected families noting that the decision aims to ease the burden on grieving families and speed up the identification process.
“We are more than happy to offer our support, with the hope that it will help bring closure to the bereaved during this difficult period,” he said.
According to the Director General, the institution’s facilities and expertise will be mobilised immediately to handle the testing.
On Saturday, AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said Captain Muthuka Munuve brought nearly seven years of experience as a captain and check pilot on both the Cessna Citation XLS and the Pilatus PC-12, accumulating over 10,000 hours of flight time.
Captain Brian Kimani Miaro was an instructor on the PC-12 and was in the process of becoming a check pilot, with more than 5,800 flight hours to his name.
“Dr Charles Mugo Njoroge served for more than seven and a half years as a dedicated medical doctor, while Nurse Jane Rispah Aluoch Omusula served as an emergency flight nurse for four years and eight months,” Gitau said.
He
added that all four parts of a mission are rooted in service and compassion,
their roles critical in delivering lifesaving care across the country and
beyond.
Efforts
to investigate the cause of the crash are ongoing.
The aircraft’s
cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have been recovered,
although some parts of the FDR remain missing.
Gitau stated
that authorities are working with the local community to locate the remaining
components, appealing to residents for assistance.
The organisation reiterated its commitment to transparency and support for the affected families, noting that crisis teams have met with seven families, including those of community members impacted by the crash.
