Ethiopian Airlines accident: three generations of a family have perished

Carol Karanja never went to their home country, Kenya. She was one of 157 people killed when the plane crashed a few minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. His mother, Ann Wangui Karanja, and her three children: Ryan Njoroge, 7, Kellie Pauls, 4, and her 9-month-old daughter, Rubi Pauls, were also killed.

Rubi was born in Ontario, where the family lived. She was returning home for the first time to meet her Kenyan family.

His son had a present for his grandfather

Kelly Karanja said that her sister was deeply spiritual.

"She has always been telepathic," she said. "She was also cheerful, funny, selfless, the one who brought the family together.We are not able to describe in words the kind of woman she was in. She was just awesome."

Before her escape, Carol Karanja sent an SMS to her father, John Quindos Karanja, to express her fear of the impending journey.

"The day before the flight, my daughter sent me a message – and she told me:" I'm not excited, I do not know what's going on daddy. " I'm scared and I do not know what's inside me. "She was scared," said her father. "Then I thought it was normal. We never interacted again. "

Ryan, his eldest son, was close to his grandfather, and they spoke daily by videoconference, said John Quindos Karanja.

A few days before their departure, Ryan announced to his grandfather that he was planning to borrow money from his father and buy him a gift, said Kelly Karanja.

The day after the announcement of the news, the grandfather turned to the family members and told them, "I wonder what Ryan was bringing?"

She was a mother, a wife and an accountant

Before moving to Hamilton, Ontario in May 2017, Carol Karanja split her time between Boston and Kenya. She also previously lived in Bermuda, where her husband, Paul Njoroge, works and did not accompany the family on his trip.

Carol Karanja's friends painted a portrait of a pbadionate mother who juggled a busy work schedule as an accountant at an energy company in Canada.

"She loved cooking for them, breakfast, lunch, dinner, she was a real housewife," said Florence Brown, her six-year-old friend from Bermuda. "It took me a while to convince her that it was okay to give her KFC kids dinner on TV, especially when she was overworked and busy."

One of Carol Karanja's last posts on Facebook asked for advice on what to feed Rubi during the flight.

"She is so hungry when she is hungry and badfeeding is not enough, because she is a big girl now.It eats more than my four year old, what can I wear for she?" she asked her friends.

A devastated community cries

Back in Kenya, a devastated family tries to overcome the loss of three generations.

An incessant stream of visitors is going to the family grounds outside the city of Nakuru since the announcement of the accident. More than 100 people have flocked every day since Sunday.

In the house, hidden behind a bright blue portal, a group of women make huge tea pots for visitors who share their memories. They are part of a local group supervised by Ann, the matriarch of the family and former teacher.

"We will never find another person like her, she left a void that no one can fill, she has been so generous with us, we must be generous to honor her," said Monica Magiri, a neighbor.

The discussion focuses on issues related to the safety of the Boeing 737 Max 8 after airlines around the world have grounded it. But Carol Karanja's brother says that he has no interest in pointing out the tragedy of his family.

"If you're thinking of blaming others, I think it will make the healing process a bit more difficult for us," Quindos Mwangi Karanja said.

"I may not know exactly where to blame the plane, but let the experts finish their investigations, and they can then point the way."