An old adage has it that a good father will leave his imprint on his daughter for the rest of her life.
This is the case with some Kenyan pilots who passed the flying baton to their children in a bid to keep the family legacy alive.
Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at four families who have transcended the aviation industry.
Capt. Constant Oteri and daughter Anita Oteri
On April 1, 2022, Kenyan pilot, Captain Constant Oteri, made headlines when he passed the baton to his daughter, Anita Oteri, after hitting over 29,000 hours in the sky.
The historic feat was celebrated by the national carrier, Kenya Airways, which lauded Anita for following the footsteps of her father.
Anita, who joined Kenya Airways in 2019, is a First Officer. At the celebration, Captain Constant expressed joy for his daughter continuing the family legacy.
“I’m a family man with a lovely wife, four amazing daughters, and one son. My daughter is following in my footsteps and is a First Officer on the Ejet. So one day there will be another Captain Oteri," he stated.
Capt. Joe Mutungi and Capt. Irene Koki Mutungi
Captain Irene Koki Mutungi has transcended the aviation industry during her two-decade career. Not only is she regarded as KQ's first female pilot for six years, but she is also the first African woman to become a Captain of the Boeing 737 Dreamliner Aircraft. In June 2018, she became the lead pilot during Kenya's maiden flight to New York.
Despite her accolades, Mutungi has acknowledged that her historic moment is when she commanded a flight alongside her father, Captain Joe Mutungi - a seasoned pilot who flew in the early 1990s.
Retired Capt Paul Mwangi and Capt Emma Mwangi
In 2013, Captain Paul Mwangi endeared Kenyans after he commanded a flight from Nairobi to Bangkok alongside his daughter, Emma Mwangi. What made the moment exceptional was that it was Emma's last flight as a First Officer before she transitioned into a Captain.
Emma sought to emulate her father who had worked in the aviation industry for over 29 years.
During a past interview, the duo revealed the hurdles they had to overcome during the course of their careers. In the case of Emma, she had to overcome rumours from her colleagues that she got the job due to her father's senior position. Further, the two would get into arguments at work which would extend at home.
"Like now we are flying, I'm her Captain and she is my co-pilot. Then of course in the office, I become her boss because I'm in charge of flight operations and of course at home, we have the daddy-daughter relationship," retired Captain Paul Mwangi stated.
Capt Godwin Wachira and his daughters
It is a rare occurrence for every member of the family to have the distinguished honour of working in the aviation industry. For one Captain Godwin Wachira, he has lived to amplify this.
Captain Wachira is the pioneer pilot of the family and his children have kept the legacy alive. His eldest children, Leah and Peter, are captains and so are their spouses.
Godwin's wife, Catherine Wachira, runs the family's aviation school dubbed Flight Training Centre - located at the Wilson Airport. Further, Wachira's youngest daughter, Esther Karungari, is a pilot.
"In my early stages of my career, I would fly a lot with the children. They were really young then. That is where they picked up the interest to fly," Captain Wachira stated at a past interview.
