This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 5, 2019, Boeing offered $100 million (Sh10 billion) to the families of 157 people who lost their lives in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in March 2019, as well as those who perished in the Lion Air flight that went down in Indonesia in October 2018.
The offer was made as an out-of-court compensation for families who lost their kin in two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets to withdraw cases filed in the United States.
However, 15 Kenyan families who lost their loved ones in the Ethiopian Airlines crash have rejected the offer, choosing to proceed with their case against Boeing.
According to senior counsel Stephen Gachie, the families have rejected the settlement terms and are determined to go to trial to seek justice.
“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 said.
By giving the offer, Boeing is effectively admitting to having made mistakes in the manufacturing of the 737 Max 8 aircraft, Gachie noted.
Several lawsuits have been filed in the US courts against Boeing, with families of the victims demanding millions of dollars in damages.
