Kenyan Family of Ethiopian Plane Crash Victim Fight Over Compensation

The family of the late Juliah Mwashi, who was among the 36 Kenyans who perished in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in March, is embroiled in a fierce fight for the compensation to be paid by the airline.

Mwashi's husband Henry Macharia and her parents in Kakamega are fighting over who should receive the compensation that is believed to be between Sh17 million to Sh25 million.

Macharia feels it is unfair for the maternal side to lay claim on the compensation because Ms. Mwashi was legally married to him at the time of her death. The two had been married for 22 years and have three children.

So grave is the disagreement that the two families held parallel memorial services for Juliah. 

“I am asking the government to be vigilant during the compensation process to ensure there is no confusion,” Macharia told The Star.

Last week, Kenya's Foreign Affairs ministry urged all the victims’ families to acquire a Grant of Representation from court to receive compensations.

"Grant of Representation is a legal document that enables its bearer to administer the deceased’s property and ensure only bonafide persons get the compensation," PS Macharia Kamau said.

The victims will be paid between Sh17 million and Sh25 million in accordance with the Montreal Convention of 1999 on Airline liability.

The ill-fated Nairobi-bound flight went down six minutes after departure from Addis Ababa, killing all the 157 people aboard.

The 157 victims included 149 passengers and eight crew members.