Tributes have been pouring in for former Kenyan journalist Anthony Ngare, who lost his life in the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crash on Sunday that killed all 157 people on board.

Mr Ngare had just represented Kenya at a UN conference in Paris and was on his way to Nairobi.

The 49-year-old was formerly an editor at local media house Standard Group and had also worked at a government agency.

At the time of his death, he was working for the UN's cultural agency, Unesco, as a deputy director of communications.

His nephew, 30-year-old Elvis Ngare, said his uncle was a cheerful and very funny person.

"We looked up to him as a mentor. He was like a big brother," said Elvis.

The father of two had in February posted on Twitter an emotional letter from his eight-year-old daughter thanking him for being a responsible father.