Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju has narrated a harrowing experience of surviving a plane crash in Busia County shortly after he ventured into politics, an incident he says permanently changed his view of life.
Speaking during the Engage Talk programme, Tuju revealed that the aircraft narrowly avoided a catastrophic explosion after hitting high-voltage power lines during descent. According to him, the power lines slowed the plane’s fall, preventing what could have been a deadly inferno.
Tuju attributed his survival to divine intervention, recalling how his mother later told him the incident was a sign that politics was not his original calling.
“Shortly after I went into politics, there was a plane crash, and I was inside that plane. My mother told me I should have been a priest,” he said.
He explained that although the plane struck a power line, electricity was active in Busia at the time, which reduced the impact and caused the aircraft to crash onto the roof of a building instead of exploding mid-air.
As the plane came down, Tuju said his thoughts were consumed by his family.
“I only thought about my children, my parents, and my spouse. That is when you truly understand how fragile life is,” he recalled.
The aircraft was carrying several prominent figures, including Martha Karua and the late Chebi Kilimo. Sadly, Tuju disclosed that one Cabinet minister and the pilot lost their lives in the crash.
Beyond the plane crash, Tuju also opened up about another close brush with death in 2020, when he survived a horrific road accident near Magina.
The accident left him with 18 fractures, including three on his vertebrae, and severe internal injuries that required emergency surgery.
He credited Kijabe Mission Hospital for saving his life, revealing that he spent nine days in the Intensive Care Unit on life-support before being transferred to the United Kingdom for further treatment.
“The operation at Kijabe Hospital is what saved my life. Without it, I would have bled to death,” he said.
Tuju’s story has since sparked reflection among Kenyans, highlighting both the unpredictability of life and the resilience that comes from surviving near-death experiences.
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