Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is on the spot after another blackout hit the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on May 1, 2024.
In a statement on X, CNN International Correspondent Larry Madowo criticized the CS for the power outage that affected the Airport on Wednesday morning.
According to Madowo, the blackout affected Terminal 1C despite Murkomen’s promise to stabilize power supply at JKIA.
“Blackout right now at JKIA, hours after Kenya’s Transport minister toured it and said they had stabilized the electricity supply,” Madowo said.
In a video shared by the journalist, parts of the Airport were completely dark after the outage.
X user, Samuel Mugambi shared clips from JKIA at 5: 00a.m showing parts of the Airport affected by the blackout.
Mugambi said JKIA Terminal 1C had gone dark and the backup generator was running but the power was not back.
“This is very embarrassing, another power lose at JKIA Terminal 1C,” Mugambi said.
Kenyans Troll Larry Madowo After JKIA Exposure
Former Kenya Tourism Federation Chairperson Mohammed Hersi also called out for his negative tweets regarding JKIA.
Hersi said Madowo is right to inform the world about the situation at JKIA but maintained that the reporter is overdoing his job.
“Larry, you serve the region, over 15 people died in Rwanda yesterday you didn’t fly there or the same floods causing havoc in Tanzania, but you are not covering the same let alone with same zeal,” he said.
He explained that floods at the openair walkway at JKIA had been raised, adding that the current floods all the way to cargo section has never happened.
Hersi asked Madowo to practice balanced reporting and post the positive side of the JKIA despite the floods.
He said flights still managed to land and take off with a few isolated delays amid the heavy rains.
“I am not asking you NOT to report but surely you are beating yourself too hard please take a break and go cover our neighbors who are also going through serious floods it’s not like it’s only Kenya going through this mess,” he said.
COFEK SG Plea
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) Secretary General Stephen Mutoro urged the journalist to stop fighting Murkomen.
Mutoro argued that Madowo’s intentions are excellent since the interests of Kenyans far outweigh those of the CS.
“The rule in boxing is that you don’t hit someone below the belt and especially when he is floored. He is down. He is done. Stop the ugly fight!” Mutoro said.
He however said the correspondent should stop tweeting about JKIA since he has a large audience, and the information is hurting the tourism sector.
“Would you kindly reconsider any further tweets on JKIA? Your huge reach (more than majority local media houses) is condemning our tourism and the place of Kenya’s aviation in the family of Nations,” he added.
Also Read: JKIA Changes Access Points After Flooding Incident
Miguna Defends Madowo
However, a section of Kenyans including lawyer Dr Miguna Miguna defended Madowo stating that he was doing his job.
Miguna said individuals attacking Madowo for reporting on Kenya are wrong since he is not manufacturing news, spreading fake news, distorting, or sensationalizing events.
The lawyer explained that “reporting accurately on something some people may perceive as ‘negative news’ is perfectly justified.
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“Such reports expose things that need to be corrected, or resolved, for the benefit of Kenyans,” Miguna said.
Founder & CEO of Diaspora Network Hub Mudge Rulf also accused individuals attacking Madowo of tampering with media freedom.
Rulf said the attacks encourage governments to also openly intimidate journalists because some citizens would be condoning it already.
“These intimidation incidents have been too much and may make the country be ranked very badly when it comes to media freedom. Local journalists will fear reporting,” he said.
He asked Kenyans to concentrate more on asking for accountability from the authorities who are supposed to prevent and control the flooding.
Murkomen Statement
Murkomen toured JKIA on Tuesday, April 30, to inspect the ongoing constructions at the country’s critical infrastructure.
In a statement, the CS said the works by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) at Terminal 1B and 1C will prevent the constant leakages experienced at JKIA.
Additionally, Murkomen explained the government has stabilized electricity supply at JKIA and is soon commencing the installation of solar panels.
“This afternoon, I visited the airport to inspect the progress of ongoing works to build a roof above Terminal 1B and 1C which will solve the perennial leakages onto level 1 while creating more capacity at the facility for a new arrival terminal and lounges as we prepare to decommission Terminal 1E,” Murkomen said.
“We have stabilized the electricity supply, and we are now moving to the next phase of greening the airport by installing solar power and even selling some to the national grid.”
Also Read: Murkomen Gives Update in JKIA Roof Works, Shares Plan to Prevent Future Flooding
Floods Management Plan
Murkomen also toured the cargo side that was affected by flood waters from Mombasa Road and the Expressway.
He revealed that KAA has managed the water issue and is seeking a long-lasting solution.
The CS further called on KAA to keep working with JKIA stakeholders to ensure JKIA retains its position as the aviation hub of the region.
Murkomen said Cabinet passed a recommendation to formulate a master plan for the drainage system within the Nairobi metropolis.
According to the CS, this plan will be replicated nationwide and support water management for the next five decades.
In December 2023, Murkomen said KAA and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) had fixed the power outage issue at the critical infrastructure.
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