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Kenya Airways halts flights to Kinshasa as standoff with DRC escalates

A Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. (Photo: AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | 29 Apr 2024

KQ stated that it cannot continue flights without sufficient personnel.

Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways, has suspended its flights to Kinshasa, DRC, citing the ongoing detention of its employees by the Congolese military intelligence unit.

The airline, which operates daily flights to Kinshasa, stated that it cannot continue flights without sufficient personnel.

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“We reached a difficult decision to suspend flights to Kinshasa effective April 30, 2024, until we can effectively support these flights,” said KQ in a statement on Monday evening.

It added, “The continued detention of our employees has made it difficult for us to supervise our operations in Kinshasa, which include customer service, ground handling, cargo activities, and generally ensuring safe, secure, and efficient operations.”

This decision, seen as retaliation, follows the recent announcement by Kenya Airways that two of its employees, one Kenyan and one Congolese, had been detained by military intelligence and grilled on missing customs documentation.

"We also ask that our staff be treated humanely and respectfully during this unlawful detention and sincerely apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused by this situation," KQ added.

However, the airline stated that it was still resolving the matter through the diplomatic channels available and hoped to find a way forward soon.

"We continue cooperating with the investigating agencies and the relevant government entities in both the DRC and Kenya to ensure this matter is resolved. We ask that the Military court's direction that they be released so that our innocent staff can return to their families and everyday lives without harassment," KQ updated.

On Friday last week, the airline stated that DRC continued to hold the two staff despite a military court in the country ordering their release.

In response to the reports, Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'Oei, stated that the country's Mission in Kinshasa was engaging actively on the matter and would update the public on developments touching on this issue.

"The government reaffirms its commitment to protecting our citizens working abroad," Korir Sing'Oei stated.

However, Nelson Koech, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations Committee, took a more stern approach and ordered DRC to release the two immediately "to avoid further escalation of the diplomatic tensions between our two friendly countries."

"This is a serious infringement of the rights of the two Kenyans and a worrying breach of the diplomatic principles upon which Kenya-DRC relations are founded. Indeed, DRC has been one of the region's top beneficiaries of the Kenyan spirit of hospitality, with Congolese citizens freely living in and earning their livelihoods in Kenya without any harassment by our authorities," Koech, who also serves as Belgut MP, warned.