State House official Michael G. Gitonga has spoken after surviving a frightening incident aboard a Jambojet flight from Nairobi to Kisumu that was forced to abort takeoff on Sunday morning.
Gitonga, who serves as the Secretary for State Functions and previously worked as a KTN news anchor, was among the passengers on flight JM 8650 when it developed a technical problem shortly before departure.
Sharing the experience on his Instagram Stories, Gitonga said the situation changed within seconds after smoke was spotted inside the aircraft.
“So when the flight purser announced, ‘Leave everything and evacuate,’ it was calm until someone mentioned, ‘I see smoke!’ Suddenly everyone wanted to leave at the same time,” he wrote.
The evacuation caused panic as passengers rushed to exit the plane, but everyone was safely evacuated.
In another post after the incident, Gitonga thanked God for their safety, quoting James 5:16.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Happy Sunday!”
Jambojet later confirmed the incident in an official statement, saying flight JM 8650 experienced a system caution alert at about 6 a.m. before takeoff.
The airline said the takeoff was immediately aborted as a safety precaution, adding that all passengers and crew disembarked safely before the aircraft was taken for technical inspection.
“We can confirm all the guests and crew safely disembarked from the aircraft and received the necessary assistance from our team on the ground,” the airline said.
Jambojet apologised for the inconvenience caused, insisting that the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew remain its top priority.
The incident comes as airlines continue to emphasise strict safety procedures, with aviation experts noting that precautionary evacuations are standard whenever an aircraft reports a technical warning before departure.
