newswatcher
5th Jun 2001, 11:54
From a Kenyan paper - "The Nation".
The man who nearly plunged a British Airways plane has returned to France.
Mr Paul Kefa Mukonyi was re-admitted to Universite Lumire Lyon after two months of treatment at Nairobi Hospital.
He left the country by an Emirates Airline plane after the British Airways refused him carriage following the incident. The airline said it could not offer him carriage as it was "serious about the security of its passengers".
Mr Mukonyi hit international headlines last December 30 when he nearly plunged the BA plane in the Sudanese air space. He had boarded the plane in Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom, as he ran away from what he believed were assailants, a condition doctors described as paranoia.
He broke into the cockpit of the jumbo jet and bit the pilot, leading to a struggle as he attempted to seize the flight controls of the Boeing 747-400, nearly causing it to crash.
The plane, carrying 379 passengers and 16 crew members, took two nose dives before the pilot took full control. It landed safely in Nairobi and Mr Mukonyi was arrested.
The Attorney-General, Mr Amos Wako, did not prefer any charges against him. He said: "Guilty intent cannot be proved against him."
Dr Frank Njenga, a psychiatrist, said Mr Mukonyi's condition had improved drastically. "As we had said, the nature of his ailment was curable and there was no cause for alarm," he told the Nation by telephone.
Mr Mukonyi's bill at Nairobi Hospital stands at Sh800,000. Yesterday, Mukonyi's father, Benard, said his son was still on medication.
The family will hold a series of fund-raisings to offset the bill. Malava MP Soita ****anda will preside over the main fund-raising at a later date.
The family appealed to well-wishers to assist.
The man who nearly plunged a British Airways plane has returned to France.
Mr Paul Kefa Mukonyi was re-admitted to Universite Lumire Lyon after two months of treatment at Nairobi Hospital.
He left the country by an Emirates Airline plane after the British Airways refused him carriage following the incident. The airline said it could not offer him carriage as it was "serious about the security of its passengers".
Mr Mukonyi hit international headlines last December 30 when he nearly plunged the BA plane in the Sudanese air space. He had boarded the plane in Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom, as he ran away from what he believed were assailants, a condition doctors described as paranoia.
He broke into the cockpit of the jumbo jet and bit the pilot, leading to a struggle as he attempted to seize the flight controls of the Boeing 747-400, nearly causing it to crash.
The plane, carrying 379 passengers and 16 crew members, took two nose dives before the pilot took full control. It landed safely in Nairobi and Mr Mukonyi was arrested.
The Attorney-General, Mr Amos Wako, did not prefer any charges against him. He said: "Guilty intent cannot be proved against him."
Dr Frank Njenga, a psychiatrist, said Mr Mukonyi's condition had improved drastically. "As we had said, the nature of his ailment was curable and there was no cause for alarm," he told the Nation by telephone.
Mr Mukonyi's bill at Nairobi Hospital stands at Sh800,000. Yesterday, Mukonyi's father, Benard, said his son was still on medication.
The family will hold a series of fund-raisings to offset the bill. Malava MP Soita ****anda will preside over the main fund-raising at a later date.
The family appealed to well-wishers to assist.