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How little-known Mwangoni village is reeling after fatal Kwale plane crash
31st October, 2025 02:51 PM
A thick, choking smell of burnt flesh, twisted metal, and melted plastic still hangs heavily in the air at Mwangoni village in Tsimba Golini, Kwale County.
The atmosphere reminds one of the horrific plane crash that claimed 11 lives on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
Huge flames had lit up the morning sky, consuming everything in their path. Days later, the villagers say the memories refuse to fade.
Although none of the locals lost their loved ones, the trauma of watching human remains scattered across their once quiet fields has left scars too deep to erase.
Also watch: Kwale plane crash report to be ready in 30 days.
Some say it will take time to heal, others fear the images will haunt them forever.
Silence now rules Mwangoni. Faces are heavy with grief, eyes distant, and words hard to come by.
When K24 Digital visited the scene on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, we found Hamadi Saidi Garashi, the village chairperson, still standing near the blackened wreckage.
His eyes were sunken from sleepless nights, and his clothes were partially wet due to the small drizzle. He forced a faint smile as he recognised a group of journalists who had spoken to him a day earlier.
“You’ve come back again, welcome. We are still here,” he murmured, his voice trembling as rescue teams continued to retrieve what was left of the victims.
For Garashi and his neighbours, Mwangoni will never be the same again.
As the village chairperson, Garashi has become the silent pillar holding his community together.
From the moment the plane went down, he has worked closely with security officers, Red Cross teams, and county and national disaster units to ensure that every piece of the wreckage and every human fragment is accounted for.
Though he now stands quietly by the roadside, his eyes follow every movement at the crash site.
Each shout from the rescue team, each stretch of a body bag, and every metallic clang seems to pull at his heart. He barely speaks, but his presence commands attention.
Behind his tired eyes lies a man trying to stay strong for a village that looks up to him even as he struggles to process the horror himself.
During an interview on the day of the crash, Garashi recalled being among the first to arrive at the scene. What he witnessed, he said, would stay with him for the rest of his life.
He described the chaos that greeted him: thick smoke rising to the sky, flames roaring through the wreckage, and pieces of human bodies strewn across trees and bushes.
“When we came here, there were huge flames and smoke everywhere. Body parts were scattered all over the trees,” he recounted, staring blankly at the blackened ground beneath his feet.
Garashi said that despite the horror, he immediately called the area chief, who quickly alerted the police and local authorities.
Within minutes, rescue teams began arriving, though there was little they could do to save anyone.
Kwale ordeal
However, Garashi has vowed not to miss a single day at the crash site until the investigation and recovery process is fully completed.
“I have to be here until they finish everything, that’s when I’ll get some relief,” he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion and determination.
Meanwhile, the government has assured a speedy and conclusive investigation.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Aviation Principal Secretary Teresia Mbaika said the investigation into the tragic crash would be completed within a month.
“Since the accident occurred, a team from the Air Accident Investigation Department was deployed here to begin investigations. They are conducting their work in line with Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Convention,” she said.
Mbaika, who visited the crash site to assess the ongoing recovery operations, conveyed her sympathy to the affected families.
“On behalf of myself and the Government of Kenya, I extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones,” she said.
She described the accident as unexpected and deeply unfortunate, noting that the loss had caused immense sorrow not only to the entire nation.
