PRESS RELEASE: CALLS BY KQ PILOTS FOR AIRLINE’S TOP MANAGEMENT TO QUIT
The Central Organization of Trade Unions, COTU (K) fully supports the position taken by its affiliate trade union, Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) that for the Kenya Airlines to remain truly the Pride of Africa, both its top management and Board of Directors must quit and pave way for a complete overhaul of the Airline.
It is no doubt that there are chaos at the Kenya Airways’ Headquarters and these chaotic scenes are now scaring away even the ardent of the supporters of KQ and with a diminishing client base, the times ahead for KQ are gloom hence the urgent need for such a decisive hitherto painful decision to be taken by the Airline’s top management and Directors in the interest of not only the shareholders of KQ but equally and more importantly in the interest of the country and its national carrier, Kenya Airways.
Just a few years ago, both the South African and Ethiopian Airlines were at par and even operated below our national carrier Kenya Airways and whereas these Airlines continue to grow, Kenya Airways’ fortunes have continued to dwindle and diminish globally and on the continent with its image equally going down as more and more planes some recently acquired now parked at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, JKIA with nobody bothered to allocate them routes nor seek alternatives and creative ways as far as new routes are concerned despite a wanting air transport in the region and beyond.
New Airlines are now dominating and have penetrated our previous and traditional routes, we have virtually become moribund presiding over a chaotic head office in the name of a national carrier and unless the current top management and Board of Directors pave way for overhaul, the national carrier will be no more sooner than later.
Further, the top management remains naive, lack the necessary skills to revamp the Airline despite Kenya Government’s efforts, their management skills are poor, no courtesy nor will to steer the Airline and seem largely aloof as the Airline continues to go under and now with the current position taken by its pilots, it shouldn’t be business as usual anymore. We must stand up for our national carrier!
Indeed most of us, including myself, use the Airline on a daily basis and cannot fly any airline in competition for same route with KQ but our Airline is no longer the same today despite having personally appealed to the then President Mwai Kibaki and his government to give a directive to all government officers to fly Kenya Airways in all their local and international travels which the president did but this is now a complete let down to these efforts.
We appeal equally to President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene personally and not allow our national carrier go down the drain due to mismanagement by a few individuals and we have no doubt that such intervention as requested by our Affiliate KALPA will salvage the Airline that urgently requires as cited above, a complete total overhaul and prudent management to regain its lost glory.
FrancisAtwoli, EBS, MBS
SECRETARY GENERAL
