Mercy Nafula, who lost her 13-year-old child during the tragic aircraft accident at Mwihoko, Kiambu County on August 8, 2025/LEAH MUKANGAIThe clouds of grief hang low over Mwihoko as residents come to terms with the aircraft crash that struck their community on Thursday, August 7.
As families begin to process the tragedy, Mercy Nafula remains inconsolable after losing her 13-year-old daughter, Yvonne Nafula.
Mercy has revealed that Yvonne had just arrived home from the salon to cook lunch when the craft crashed into their home, killing her instantly.
“I am lost for words. I am a single mother who has been raising these kids. I do not know where to begin because I have lost everything,” the mother of three said as she appealed for financial aid.
The crash occurred shortly after noon when a Cessna 550 operated by Amref, en route to Hargeisa, Somalia, from Wilson Airport, where it had departed at approximately 1:45 pm, plunged into a residential section of Mwihoko in Githurai.
Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula confirmed six fatalities and said those seriously injured were rushed to the hospital.
The dead include two crew members, two medics and two people who were inside a residential building at the time.
The Mwihoko neighbourhood is now steeped in heavy, unsettling sorrow.
The air carries an acrid tang of burnt fuel, mingling with the dusty scent of disturbed earth.
Twisted metal and shattered fragments of the aircraft lie scattered across the ground, their jagged edges glinting dully under the muted daylight.
Residents cluster in small, tense groups, faces etched with disbelief. Some stand frozen, arms wrapped tightly around themselves.
Others pace restlessly, craning their necks toward the cordoned-off site. The distant whirr of emergency sirens adds to the tension, a grim reminder of the devastation.
Uniformed responders pick their way through the debris, their boots crunching over broken metal and charred fragments.
Some carry stretchers, others hold the crowd back, their firm voices betraying an undercurrent of strain, as though the weight of the tragedy rests as heavily on them as on the grieving families.
The ground is scorched and uneven where flames recently raged, still exhaling faint wisps of smoke.
Pieces of the aircraft lie warped and unrecognisable, paint blistered, edges curled like torn paper.
The pungent smell of burnt fuel lingers, clinging to the clothes and hair of those standing in silent witness.
