By Mandere Onyinkwa
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has called for the urgent closure and overhaul of Wilson Airport following a plane crash involving a Safarilink flight on which he was a passenger.
In a statement after the incident, Osotsi said he was among 39 passengers on board when the aircraft crash-landed, but escaped unharmed.
“I thank God for His protection after I came out safely from an aircraft accident at Wilson Airport this evening,” he said.
He praised the pilot’s actions, noting that quick thinking helped avert a potentially catastrophic outcome.
“I commend the pilot for his remarkable skill… steering it off the runway, causing it to stall — an action that averted what could have been a catastrophic fire,” he added.
However, the senator sharply criticized the airport’s emergency preparedness, saying there was no immediate rescue response following the crash.
“There was no ambulance on site and no emergency response team came to our aid. This level of unpreparedness is unacceptable,” Osotsi said.
The lawmaker linked the incident to broader concerns he had recently raised in the Senate of Kenya regarding safety and infrastructure challenges at the airport.
He cited poor runway conditions, including flooding and malfunctioning lighting systems, which he said have previously forced flights to divert to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), especially in the evening.
“It raises serious questions as to why this particular flight was not redirected,” he said.
Osotsi now wants the airport shut down temporarily for comprehensive upgrades to meet international aviation safety standards.