This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 2, 2019, Boeing announced an offer of $100 million to the families of victims affected by crashes involving two of its 737 Max jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
However, the families of the 157 people who lost their lives in the Ethiopian air crash, including 32 Kenyans, have rejected the offer.
Lawyers representing the families, led by senior counsel Stephen Gachie, stated that they will proceed with the case to its logical conclusion to ensure that families affected get justice and the punitive damages they are seeking.
“Those whom we represent in totality have rejected the settlement terms, and the idea is to go for trial because once you go for trial, that’s when the statement will be made for purposes of the changes we are foreseeing in the aviation industry,” Gachie stated.
The lawyers expect the case to take not more than two years and foresee a situation where historic verdicts will be rendered by the courts.
“We foresee a situation where historic verdicts will be rendered by the courts. The reason why this case is of huge impact is because it’s going to change the history of aviation industry, it’s going to make people who make planes more responsible so that whenever you are travelling you don’t fear that maybe the manufacturer has done something which is wrong and therefore it’s a moment that the entire world is watching,” said Muranga Senator Irungu Kangata.
