Kenya Airways Captain Irene Koki Inducted into Aviators Africa Hall of Fame

Kenya Airways (KQ) captain Irene Koki Mutungi has been inducted into the Aviators Africa Hall of Fame, joining an elite class of distinguished aviators who have made an immense contribution to driving the sector forward on the continent.

Koki, who made history after becoming the first woman in Africa to be certified as a Captain of the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft, was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the Aviator Africa Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa over the weekend.

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be inducted into the Aviators Africa Hall of Fame. After working in the aviation industry for over 25 years, I am earnestly grateful for this recognition," Koki said on social media.

Koki, 47, has been in the aviation industry for more than 25 years, having begun her flight training when she was 17 at the Kenya School of Flying and completed at Crabtree Aviation in Oklahoma, USA.

The mother of one joined Kenya Airways in 1995 and was the national carrier’s only female pilot for the next six years. In 2004, she became the first African woman to qualify to captain a commercial aircraft, when she qualified to command the Boeing 737 and later the Boeing 767. 

Koki then took the conversion course which allowed her to transition to command a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. She was then promoted to Captain of the B787, making her the first African female Boeing 787 Captain in 2014.

In 2018, she commanded KQ's maiden non-stop flight to the United States, a flight on which former President Uhuru Kenyatta was on board.

Koki was named among "The 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa in 2014” by Forbes Magazine.