Kenya minister dies in plane crash Friday, January 24, 2003 Posted: 12:39 PM EST (1739 GMT)
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya's finance minister and two pilots are reported to have been killed and three other ministers injured after their plane crashed shortly after take-off in Busia, reports say. CNN's Catherine Bond said the 24-seat Gulfstream aircraft clipped power lines and crashed just after leaving Busia airport in the west of Kenya. Kenya Television Network said Labour Minister Ahmad MohamedKhalif was killed in the accident. Other government officials believed to be on the plane included the water resources minister, the minister of state in the office of the vice president, the information and tourism minister and the assistant justice minister. The plane was bound for the Lake Victoria port of Kisumu where the government officials were to attend the commemoration of the death of one the East African nation's leading opposition figures nine years ago. A new government, led by President Mwai Kibaki, took office after winning historic elections on December 27 which brought to an end the 39-year rule of the Kenya Africa National Union, or KANU, party. KANU had ruled Kenya since independence from Britain in 1963.
