A prayer service for the father who lost his family in an airline disaster in Ethiopia is to be held this week.

Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist Church, where Paul Njoroge was a member of the congregation, will hold the service on Wednesday night.

Mr Njoroge’s wife Caroline, 34, son Ryan, 7, daughter Kerry, 4, and baby daughter Rubi, the youngest of the victims, were among the 157 people on March 10 when ago when the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed minutes after take-off from the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

His mother-in-law Ann Wangui Karanja also died in the crash.

The service will be conducted by David Steede, the pastor at the King Street church, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

A book of condolence for Mr Njoroge is at the church at present and will also be there on Wednesday.

Mr Njoroge’s family, who lived in Toronto, were on their way to their homeland of Kenya for a visit on a connecting flight from Addis Ababa when they died.