Kenya: Plane crash victims reject Boeing compensation

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - More than a dozen Kenyan families rejected a $100 million compensation offer from Boeing after an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 plane crashed shortly after taking off from the country's capital, killing 157.

Speaking through their lawyers, 15 families said they wanted meaningful changes in the aviation industry and that the compensation was proof that Boeing accepted its fault that rocked the 737 MAX 8 aircraft series.

"Those whom we represent in totality have rejected the settlement terms, and the idea is to go for trial because once you go for trial, that’s when the statement will be made for purposes of the changes we are foreseeing in the aviation industry," Lawyer Stephen Gachie was quoted by the Kenyan Capital News.

"The fact that Boeing is giving the offer means that they are admitting of having committed mistakes in the manufacturing of the 737 Max 8 aircraft that crashed on March 10, killing 157 people -- including 32 Kenyans," he added.

The crash was the deadliest ever to involve Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airlines in Africa. It claimed the lives of mostly Kenyans and Canadians, with many victims traveling to Nairobi to attend the UN Environment Assembly.