A Kenyan banker who lost his family members in the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crash in 2019 has made a donation of Ksh48 million to a charity in Bermuda.
Paul Njoroge who is a banker in Bermuda lost 5 of his family members including his wife, three children and mother-in-law in the plane crash.
“When I lost my family, there was an immediate outpouring of support to me, much from people I did not even know. Those messages of hope gave me strength. It is a sign of love and with that same spirit, in the name of my beloved departed family, I asked that this donation be made,” Njoroge said.
He said that the donation was meant to honour his family and the support he received from many people when his world came crashing down.
Njoroge’s donation goes to Jumuiya Ya Afrika, an African charity group in Bermuda whose objective is to promote African culture and heritage.
The banker had asked Jumuiya Ya Afrika to suggest to him local charities to which he could make the donation to after the Boeing Community Investment Fund compensated him.
The Jumuiya Ya Afrika suggested he donates to Saving Children and Revealing Secrets (SCARS ) and the Family Centre, which he did.
According to Njoroge, Bermuda has been his home, and he just wanted to appreciate them for standing with him at the hour of need.
“During my 9 years in Bermuda, I worked and interacted with many people who made a positive impact in my life. My family and I felt at home. In fact, my son Ryan knew Bermuda as his primary home. At ages 2-4 years, he attended Once Upon a Time Nursery School before joining Northlands Primary School at age 4. He made several friends some of whom he always remembered,” Njoroge narrated.
Chairman of Jumuiya Ya Afrika Henry Thomas said that they were honoured to have facilitated the donation.
“We are happy to announce that both SCARS and the Family Centre met the criteria set out by Boeing Community Investment Fund and each has confirmed receipt of funds,” said Thomas.
The Executive Director of the Family Centre Dr. Sandy De Silva said the generous donation would help many families access multiple counselling services free of charge.
“We were so humbled by Mr. Njoroge’s desire to assist others in need at a time of such terrible and unimaginable loss for him,” said Dr. Sandy.
In January 2021, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) secured fines from the plane's manufacturer and announced that families of the victims of the plane crash were to be compensated.
Out of the compensation settlements the company had agreed to pay, each of the 32 Kenyan families $1.4 million (Ksh153 million).
The Ethiopian Airlines crashed on March 10 2019, shortly after take-off resulting in the tragic deaths of all 157 people passengers.
