The tragedy claimed the lives Kenyan professors, Ethiopian relief workers, a Nigerian diplomat and many who were affiliated with the United Nations.
One was a lecturer interested in the effective use of computers in the classroom. The other had published papers on the challenges of teaching English as a second language in Kenya. Both excelled at teaching others to teach.
The two professors at Kenyatta University in Kenya shared something else in common: They were passengers on Ethiopian Airways Flight 302, heading home after a work trip in Italy. The plane crashed on Sunday shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people aboard and raising questions about the safety of the model of aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max 8.
Kenyatta University officials confirmed the deaths of the professors, Isaac Mwangi, a lecturer in the department of education, communication and technology, and Agnes Gathumbi, a director of teacher professional development.
Dr. Mwangi wrote dissertations on using technology in secondary education and worked on projects related to integrating images and graphics into the teaching of poetry.
He was “diligent and proactive,” Olive Mugenda, a fellow professor who worked with Dr. Mwangi for more than a decade, wrote on Twitter.
Dr. Gathumbi published dozens of papers, including one on how administrators react differently to graffiti when it’s scrawled by girls instead of boys. He had received certifications in French, African storybook writing, computer studies and other areas from across the world, including institutions in Britain and Slovakia.
Dr. Gathumbi was “humble, supportive and hardworking,” Ms. Mugenda tweeted.
Aid workers were also killed in the crash. Four were employees of Catholic Relief Services, all of them Ethiopian citizens who were traveling to Nairobi for training.
Sintayehu Aymeku was a procurement manager who left behind a wife and three daughters. Sara Chalachew was a senior project officer for grants. Mulusew Alemu was a senior officer in the finance department. Getnet Alemayehu was a senior project officer for procurement and compliance. He had a wife and one daughter.
“Although we are in mourning, we celebrate the lives of these colleagues and the selfless contributions they made to our mission, despite the risks and sacrifices that humanitarian work can often entail,” the organization said in a statement.
In Nigeria, the government confirmed the death of Abiodun Bashua, a former ambassador who had been working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
He joined the Nigerian foreign service in 1976 and worked in several countries, including Austria, Ivory Coast, and Iran, according to a statement from the Nigerian Foreign Ministry.
