32 Kenyan families to receive Ksh.11.3B compensation over 2019 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash

Families of 32 Kenyans killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash are set to receive a combined $87.3 million (Ksh.11.3 billion) from Boeing-linked victim compensation funds, nearly seven years after the disaster, according to the law firm representing them.

Chicago-based Ribbeck Law Chartered said Boeing would begin making final payments following the conclusion of legal proceedings in the US. 

The firm said the Kenyan families’ allocation totals $87,343,352.60, averaging about $2.73 million (Ksh.353 million) per victim across the compensation funds.

“We have now concluded the legal work on behalf of our clients in the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Asia,” Manuel von Ribbeck of the firm said.

The payments are linked to compensation funds established under Boeing’s agreements with the US Justice Department over two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

A 2025 non-prosecution agreement required Boeing to provide an additional $444.5 million (Ksh.57.5 billion) for victims, on top of a $500 million (Ksh.64.7 billion) fund established under a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

The latest $444.5 million fund is to be divided equally among the estates of the 346 people killed in the two crashes. Boeing also agreed to invest $455 million (Ksh.58.9 billion) in compliance, safety and quality programs.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, on March 10, 2019, about six minutes after departing Addis Ababa for Nairobi.

All 157 passengers and crew members from more than 30 nationalities were killed; including 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians, eight Italians, eight Chinese and eight Americans.

The other disaster involving the aircraft occurred in Indonesia on October 29, 2018, when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after leaving Jakarta. All 189 people aboard that aircraft were killed.

Investigations into both crashes found that the aircraft’s Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) played a major role in the accidents.

Beyond compensation, Boeing has also been required to put more money into improving its safety and compliance systems.

Under the 2025 agreement, the company is expected to spend at least $455 million on compliance and aviation safety measures and appoint an independent consultant to assess its progress.

The measures follow intense scrutiny of the development and certification of the 737 MAX after the two crashes.

The Boeing 737 MAX was grounded worldwide after the two crashes, forcing the manufacturer and regulators to confront serious questions about aircraft design, pilot training, safety oversight and the systems used to certify new planes.