Raphael Tuju opens up on surviving plane crash in Busia
By Valerian Khakayi, January 24, 2026Former Cabinet Secretary (CS) Raphael Tuju has shared a harrowing account of surviving a plane crash in Busia County, shortly after he entered politics.
Speaking candidly during the engage talk, Tuju explained how the aircraft crashed after hitting a power line.
The power lines, he said, slowed the crash, and the plane ultimately fell on a roof instead of causing a complete explosion.
He added that the aircraft should have exploded, but he credits divine intervention for saving his life.
“Shortly after I went into politics, there was a plane crash, and I was in that plane, and my mother said, ‘You see, I told you that you should have been a priest,'” Tuju revealed.
“That plane should have exploded because it hit the power line, but it did not because there was power in Busia at that time; however, the power lines slowed the crash of the plane, and it ended up falling on the roof.”
In addition, Tuju revealed how the experience left him reflecting on family, faith, and the fragility of life.
“When that plane was coming down at that moment, I only thought of my children, my mother, my father and then my spouse,” he added.
The former Jubilee Secretary General further revealed notable figures were on board, including Martha Karua, Chebi Kilimo, and a few others. Tragically, one minister and the pilot died from the crash.
“Few notables were there. I think I was with Martha Karua, Chebi Kilimo and a few others. One minister died from the impact of the fall of the plane, and the pilot died immediately,” Tuju stated.
Car crash
Reflecting on another near-death experience, Tuju recalled surviving a road accident that occurred in 2020 at the Magina area that left him nursing 18 fractures.
“I survived a plane crash, but the other tragedy that I went through was five years ago, when I survived a car crash, in which I had 18 fractures, three of them being on my vertebrae, and intestinal damage that had to be operated on immediately, otherwise I was going to bleed to death,” he reflected.
Additionally, Tuju said the surgery at Kijabe Hospital saved his life, adding that he spent nine days in the ICU on life-support machines before being transferred to the UK for further treatment.
“The operation at Kijabe Hospital was what saved my life. I was in the ICU for nine days on machines, and later I was taken to the UK in an ambulance,” he added.
“That is the hidden hand of God.”
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