South Sudan President Kiir’s Lost Passport Recovered in a Kenyan Village 30 Years After Plane Crash

A lost passport belonging to South Sudan President Salva Kiir has been recovered 30 years after he was involved in a plane crash in Kenya.

The passport together with those belonging to other occupants of the ill-fated aircraft that went down in Torongo, Baringo County in 1993 had been safely kept by a family that also collected armlets from the scene of the accident.

Aboard the chartered plane were six people including Kiir, his security officer, the pilot, two Norwegian medics, and a Briton. 

The Briton died on the spot while the pilot and the two Norwegians sustained severe injuries to their backs and currently use wheelchairs, according to reports.

Villagers who arrived at the scene after the crash rescued those trapped in the debris and organized transportation to the hospital. Kiir and his bodyguard were ferried in a truck while the remaining individuals were rushed to the hospital in a car.

On Sunday, the survivors and a South Sudanese delegation returned to the crash site to meet with the families of the individuals who saved their lives. 

While receiving the lost items, South Sudan Presidential Affairs Minister Barnaba Benjamin said the government will build a state-of-the-art accident and trauma center at the Eldama Ravine Mission Hospital, to be named after President Kiir.

In addition, the crash site will become a part of South Sudan’s heritage and will be transformed into a tourist attraction, with road improvements and upgrades to the healthcare facilities that provided medical assistance.

The 15-member South Sudanese delegation that visited the site included Benjamin, the Minister of Presidential Affairs Josephine Nopwon, the Minister of Environment Thiik Kiir, the son of President Kiir Chol Ajongo, South Sudan’s ambassador in Kenya, and Ambassador Bol Wek, among other officials.