A Kenyan pilot, Patrick Waweru, has recalled how he managed to evacuate 180 passengers during an attempted coup in Ivory Coast.
In the 2004 incident, Waweru pulled a daring stunt when he decided to rescue 180 people who were stranded at Houmphuet Bogny Airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Waweru caught up in the terrifying coup attempt led by the armed militia, had waited for over 26 hours to be evacuated.
After seeking military intervention in the foreign country, Waweru realised that 180 passengers were also stranded.
Together with his crew, Waweru decided to take a risk by rescuing 180 passengers despite fear of being attacked by the militia who were planning to dethrone the government.
Waweru even defied aviation rules by flying more than the plane's capacity of 116 people.
Amidst fear, the Kenyan sky man pulled the heroic act despite fear of the plane being brought down by the armed militia. The following day, he managed to land in Accra, Ghana.
"Anybody who brings war to a community or country is an enemy of the people. That should never happen anywhere in the world,” he stated during an interview with Who owns Kenya.
Kenya's then President, Mwai Kibaki, was impressed by Waweru's heroic act and awarded him a silver star - regarded as the highest award for bravery in the country.
"It made me feel appreciated, and I realized that whatever I did was not in vain," he told Who Owns Kenya.
His aviation career started in 1994 when he was hired to transport miraa from Nairobi to Somalia.
Waweru continued rising through the ranks until he got employed by the Kenya national carrier. He was tasked with ensuring pilots adhered to strict stipulated regulations.
"Imagine, how do you live in a situation where you have left something to go and an aircraft crashes? How does that make you feel?" Waweru posed.
