NAIROBI-(MaraviPost)-Veteran Kenya Airways pilot, captain Daudi Kibati has died of coronavirus days after flying KQ’s last plane from US.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe made the announcement on Friday during a press briefing.

Report by Daily Mail revealed that Kibati was in charge of the last flight from New York to Nairobi which evacuated Kenyans stranded in the United States, before the government’s ban on international flights took effect last Wednesday.

The 63-year-old Major (Rtd) Captain had several Kenyan students on board who were awarded free complimentary tickets to fly home to Kenya after being stranded in the US where major learning institutions had suspended operations amid the Covid19 global pandemic.

He was later taken ill on March 29, 2020 a week after performing his last international assignment and was tested positive of coronavirus.

He is the second patient to die in Kenya of coronavirus-related complications.

Commenting on the matter, KQ’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Evelyne Munyoki has been quoted by Citizen TV saying: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Management and staff of Kenya Airways, we join the family of the late Captain Kibati in mourning their beloved one and pray that the Almighty God will strengthen them during this time of sorrow”.

His family has since asked Kenyans to respect their privacy and desist from sharing the deceased’s photos on social media.