Panic at JKIA as plane with miraa makes an emergency landing

There was panic at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when an aircraft that had taken off with tons of miraa made an emergency landing minutes later.

Officials said the plane had taken off headed for Somalia on February 7 when the pilot called back to say he had a right engine failure. He requested a full emergency landing, sending officials on the ground into panic mode, and waited for his arrival. Witnesses said the plane landed safely with five people who were on board.

The cargo was later dispatched after the issue had been solved. Witnesses said there was minimal disruption of operations at the airport.

At the same airport, officials said a bullet discharged from a pistol as officials carried out safety measures on it.

No injuries were reported in the Saturday morning incident as the firearm holder was boarding to Mandera.

A police officer who was screening the weapons handed to him for safety measures and handing over to plane crew said the Czeka pistol discharged one bullet in the security desk as it was being screened. The weapon was handed over to the airline crew as planned.

And police at the airport detained a woman who was wanted for obtaining money by false pretences. She was wanted by the police in Kisii and when she was arrested, she was headed for Iraq through Turkey, officials said.

Police identified her as Jacinta Oroba, 29. She was later transported to Kisii for grilling and possible arraignment.

Meanwhile, a team of police officers is investigating the source of dozens of identification documents that were found in a house in Turbo area, Uasin Gishu County.

The documents were found in an abandoned office in Kenya Pipeline in Eldoret.

Police said the documents included 127 Kenyan driving licenses, a Kenyan identification card, three Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority licenses, 17 Ugandan driving licenses, 109 Tanzanian driving licenses, eight Tanzania national identification cards, two Congolese driving licenses, 114 South Sudanese driving licenses, 25 South Sudanese national identification cards and a log book.

Three suspects who were found at the scene were arrested for grilling on the motive.