Irene Koki Mutungi facts for kids

Irene Koki Mutungi, often called Koki Mutungi, is a super talented pilot from Kenya. She made history by becoming the first woman in all of Africa to be a captain of the amazing Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" airplane! She flies for Kenya Airways, which is Kenya's main airline.

Growing Up and Learning to Fly

Koki Mutungi was born in Kenya in 1976. Her dad was also a pilot for Kenya Airways. He has now retired, but he still works with airplanes as a consultant.

Koki went to Moi Girls School in Nairobi. After finishing high school in 1992, when she was 17, she started flight school. She went to Wilson Airport in Nairobi. There, she earned her first pilot's license, called a private pilot's license.

She didn't stop there! Koki continued her pilot training in Oklahoma City in the United States. That's where she earned her professional pilot's license. This license allowed her to fly planes for a living.

Her Amazing Flying Career

In 1995, Koki Mutungi came back to Kenya. She was hired by Kenya Airways and became their very first female pilot! For six years, she was the only woman flying planes for the airline.

In 2004, Koki made history again. She became the first African woman to qualify as a captain of a commercial airplane. This meant she could command a Boeing 737 aircraft. Later, she also qualified to command the larger Boeing 767.

Then, she took a special course to learn how to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is a very advanced airplane. Kenya Airways then promoted her to captain of the B787. This made her the first African female Boeing 787 captain in the world! Her airline announced this exciting news on April 15, 2014.

More About Koki Mutungi

Koki Mutungi wanted to become a pilot ever since she was five years old. She was inspired by her father, who was a pilot for Kenya Airways at the time. Watching him fly made her dream big!

Koki is a mom to one son, who was born around 2006. She really loves flying. She also enjoys helping and guiding other people, especially young women who want to become pilots.

In September 2014, Kenya Airways had 530 pilots in total. Out of these, 39 were women, and Koki was one of them. She was the captain for flights from Nairobi to Paris on the B787.

In December 2014, Forbes magazine recognized her. They named her one of "The 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa 2014." This shows how important and inspiring her achievements are.