The pilot of a Kisumu-bound plane saved the lives of the over 70 passengers after the plane was unable to land at Kisumu International Airport on Tuesday evening.
Upon reaching Kisumu, the pilot observed that the weather conditions were not optimal for landing.
After circling above Lake Victoria for some time to wait for the weather to clear up, he decided to fly back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Passengers spoke to The Standard about the tense moments in the plane after the composed pilot told them that he was unable to land due to bad weather.
"As we approached Kisumu, the pilot announced that we would be landing in five minutes. We started to get worried after 10 minutes had passed without us landing," one of the passengers told Standard.
Stella Wanja, who had traveled to Nairobi for treatment recalled watching the plane hover around the lake.
"It flew around the airport once and then began circling above Lake Victoria. Everybody was calm, but I could see they were scared," she recounted.
On arrival back to Nairobi, the passengers were booked at a five-star hotel in the city.
They finally travelled and landed safely at Kisumu International airport on Wednesday morning.
From 18th to 28 March 2019, the airport had been closed for maintenance. Located at the shores of Lake Victoria, the airport has one runway serving both the landings and take-offs.
