A passenger who survived a traumatic aircraft incident involving SafariLink Flight 090 has formally demanded accountability from the airline following the weekend crash-landing at Wilson Airport in Nairobi.

Through his lawyer, Shadrack Wambui, the passenger, Pere Francis, says he was aboard the flight from Kisumu to Nairobi when the aircraft was involved in what has been described as a “violent and traumatic” landing at around 8:55 p.m.

The plane, which had departed Kisumu at 7:10 p.m., reportedly encountered difficulties during its final approach, resulting in a crash-landing that allegedly exposed passengers to what the letter terms as a “real risk of catastrophic injury or loss of life.”

According to the demand letter, Francis, who was seated in 6C claims that he suffered severe psychological trauma and emotional distress as a result of the incident. His legal team argues that the nature of the occurrence placed a non-delegable duty of care on the airline to ensure passenger safety and provide adequate post-incident support.

The lawyers claim that while SafariLink initially undertook to offer psychological and psychosocial support to affected passengers, it has since failed to follow through on that commitment, leaving victims to deal with the aftermath on their own.

The letter also raises concerns over the response of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), accusing the regulator of failing to transparently and effectively exercise its oversight role. It argues that under aviation laws, the authority is mandated to ensure proper investigation of such incidents and to hold operators accountable.

The passenger is now demanding that the airline issue a written admission of liability within seven days, after which discussions on compensation for the trauma and distress suffered will follow.

The legal team has warned that failure to comply with the demand will result in court action, including claims for general and aggravated damages.