JKIA Chiefs Face 7-Day Deadline
Following the 14-hour nationwide blackout that occurred over the weekend, Operation Linda Ugatuzi, a prominent lobby group, issued a list of five demands to the management of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Monday, demanding a thorough investigation into the incident.
The lobby, led by its chairman Professor Fred Ogola, demanded that the airport management disseminate a manifest of all passenger plane arrivals at JKIA for the duration of the power outage.
In addition to passenger aircraft arrivals, the lobby also requests documentation of passenger plane departures during the specified time period from airport management.
A portion of the statement read, “We have credible information that during the entire power outage, the standby generators serving various terminals at the JKIA failed to activate, resulting in an unprecedented paralysis of the entire airport’s operation, including the flight control towers and runways.”
Additionally, the lobby wants JKIA to publish a manifest of all cargo aircraft that landed during the 14-hour window.
In addition, the organization requests that airport officials provide it with a manifest of the passengers who entered the country on August 25 during the outage.
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Ogola argued that JKIA is obligated to provide the necessary information under Article 35 (1)(b) of the Constitution, which emphasizes each citizen’s right to access information held by another individual.
The lobbyist warned that he would pursue redress in court if the information was not provided within the specified timeframe.
“While we wait for your office to act on this request, we would like to remind you that failure to respond to a request for information required for the exercise of another right or fundamental freedom is a crime punishable under Kenyan law,” the statement stated in part.
During the countrywide blackout, travelers at the JKIA were stranded for hours because the airport’s generators failed.
Following the incident, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director Alex Gitari was dismissed.
Henry Ogoye has replaced Gitari and will serve in an acting capacity until a permanent replacement is found.
JKIA Chiefs Face 7-Day Deadline
