Economy

Aviation lobby wants KAA board sent home over alleged incompetence

JKIA

Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE

An aviation workers’ lobby is calling for the disbandment of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) board, claiming its directors are not acting in the best interest of the parastatal.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) also accused the 10-member board of being hostile to the KAA management team.

Half of the management team-including the chief executive- are holding their positions in acting capacity.

Kawu, a union of about 10,000 employees, also took issue with a parking agreement that KAA has with Kenya Airports Parking Services (Kaps), claiming it is not beneficial to the authority.

“The board is incompetent to say the least; it does not provide space to senior management to effectively carry out their duties,” Moses Ndiema, Kawu’s secretary- general said addressing the Press.

KAA’s board is chaired by former inspector- general of police David Kimaiyo, while others include Wilson Irungu (PS Transport), Ambassador Monica Juma (PS Interior) and Kamau Thugge (PS Treasury).

Captain Bootsy Musyoka, Kevin Kihara, Jacqueline Oyuyo, Susan Kiama, Isaac Onyango and KAA’s acting managing director Yatich Kangugo complete the list of board members.

“While they meet regularly solely to draw huge sitting allowances, they have been unable to fill, approve (or otherwise) the vacant/acting positions of senior management.”

Attempts by the Business Daily to get a comment from the KAA were not successful by the time of going to press.

KAA’s management team comprises 14 directors, headed by Mr Kangugo who has held the position since last year when the former MD Lucy Mbugua was sent home over allegations of involvement in an airport bus scam.

The roles currently being held by managers in acting capacity are; finance, procurement and logistics, projects and engineering services, marketing and business development as well as human resource and the JKIA airport manager.