Kenya Airways (KQ) has explained why members of its staff were detained by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo for over two weeks.
KQ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allan Kilavuka while speaking on British Broadcasting Corporation’s Newsday Program on May 7, 2024, said that the employees who were released on Monday, May 6 had been detained following a misunderstanding by the authorities.
Kilavuka added that the cargo in question which led to the detainment was made up of banknotes from a Congolese bank that were being transported to the United States.
The staff were detained in April for allegedly missing customs documents concerning what was described as valuable cargo.
“This was purely a misunderstanding by the military intelligence officers,” said Kilavuka.
Kenya Airways CEO Defends Staff
The airline’s CEO while maintaining that its staff were innocent said KQ had not taken custody of the cargo at the time its two staff members were arrested.
Also Read: Kenyan Lady Detained by DRC Soldiers Freed
However, according to him, the authorities seized the money and detained the employees.
Kilavuka further added that the staff tried to explain multiple times that they had not taken custody of the money, but the DRC officials would not listen.
“So, my only assumption is that there was clear miscommunication – may be between the military officers and the custom officers in Kinshasa,” he said.
Congolese officials have however not yet commented on the matter.
The detention woes emerged late April sparking fears in some quarters with both KQ and the staff’s family members questioning the reason for holding the staffers in a military camp.
While announcing the detention then, Kilavuka said efforts by the airline to reach out to Congolese authorities had proved futile despite their affirmation that the detained staffers followed the due procedures.
Also Read: Kenya Airways Suspends Flights to DRC
In reaction to the delays in releasing the detainees, Kenya Airways suspended its flights to DRC.
The airline further announced the suspension saying the situation had made it difficult to support flights and citing the inconvenience caused by unavailability of its two employees.
Following the suspension, the airline further went ahead to announce that it was co-operating with investigating agencies and government entities in both countries to resolve the matter.
Staff Released
Consequently, the efforts bore fruits as Lydia Mbotela and the other detainee were released on May 6,2024.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing’oei while announcing the breakthrough expressed his gratitude to officials at the Kenyan mission in Kinshasa for the role played in securing freedom for Mbotela.
KQ has since lauded all the efforts made to ensure the release of the staff, including by government officials and the embassy in Kinshasa.
Further the airline said that it is resuming flights to the country after the “unconditional” release of the two employees.
According to KQ, the flights are due to return from May 8, 2024, now “with the necessary ground support in place”.
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