By
The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya - The attorney general of Kenya has decided not to prosecute a mentally ill college student who nearly crashed a jumbo jet carrying 398 people last month, a statement said yesterday.
Attorney General Amos Wako said guilty intent could not be proven against Paul Kefa Mukonyi, 27, because he was suffering from a mental illness when he burst into the cockpit of a packed British Airways jet and struggled with the crew.
"Under our laws, a person is not criminally responsible for an act ... if at any time during an act, he was, through a disease affecting his mind, incapable of understanding what he was doing," Wako said in the statement.
Mukonyi, a Kenyan student who doctors say is suffering from acute paranoia, burst into the cockpit of the Boeing 747-400 as it was flying from London to Nairobi over Sudan on Dec. 29. As he struggled with the co-pilot, the autopilot disengaged, sending the aircraft into a steep dive.
The plane, carrying 379 passengers and 19 crew members, plummeted a reported 19,000 feet before Mukonyi was restrained and the pilots were able to right it. It later landed safely in Nairobi.
Mukonyi was arrested and then admitted to Nairobi Hospital where he is still undergoing treatment, Dr. Dan Gikonyo said yesterday.
"At no time did he intend to kill himself or any other person, but was paranoid that the Arabs were closing in on him and his life was in danger," Wako said. "Even if Mukonyi were to be prosecuted, the prosecution will not only not succeed but, as the psychiatrist ... states ... the trial will almost certainly cause him to go backward and deteriorate."
Mukonyi, who had been studying tourism in Lyon, France, had suffered from paranoia since November, believing he was being followed and spied on by a group of people - mostly of North African origin, his doctors said.
Once fully recovered, Mukonyi will be able to lead a normal life, Gikonyo said.
"He is much better and could be discharged within a week. He will need medication for a while, but he will be able to get back to normal," Gikonyo said.
Gikonyo and Mukonyi's other doctors had written to the attorney general saying charges should not be brought against their patient.
John Karanja, a spokesman for the French Embassy, said the Kenyan would be welcome back to France "any time he wishes."
Earlier this month, British Airways imposed an indefinite flight ban on Mukonyi.
