Go Back To Work Tomorrow Or Be Fired- KQ Boss To Pilots

Kenya Airways (KQ) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allan Kilavuka has moved to end the strike started by pilots under the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) on Saturday, November 5.

Speaking to the media, Kilavuka warned the pilots that they have until 11.30 am on Sunday, November 6, a period of 24 hours, to return to work or they lose their jobs.

He acknowledged that there was a crisis at the airport owing to the pilots' decision to go on strike, with several passengers complaining to the media of how they have been inconvenienced because of the national airline being forced to cancel a series of flights.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen addressing the media on November 5, 2022. /THE STAR

"We would like to ask the pilots to come back to work and I'm now giving them from today, 11.30, 24 hours to return to work so that we can continue our operations as they were meant to be. We have a crisis at the airport, we have many people who need to go to where they need to go.

"We expect the pilots within the next 24 hours to return to work...after which we will have to take the necessary action to help us address the crisis that we have," he read the riot act to the KQ pilots.

Kilavika added that there was no need for the pilots under KALPA to strike as he accused them of failing to attend a five-hour meeting by the Ministry of Labour to address the issue, in the company of two Cabinet Secretaries. According to him, they decided to go on with the strike action, which made him question its motive.

"It cannot be about the issues because the issues we have said we can sit down and talk about and yet they have insisted that they still want to go on with this action. There is an ulterior motive which we have to find out what it is," he added.

The KQ CEO noted that they ignored a court order which stopped the strike from taking place, urging KALPA to call it off immediately in exchange for a willingness to engage them in negotiations.

"This morning I was informed that many of the Executive Council members of KALPA have called in sick. What that means is they are asking their members to go on strike while they themselves have called in sick so that they protect themselves," he pointed an accusing finger at KALPA's top Executive.

The crisis also forced Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen to drive to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to address the issue which brought operations at the airline to a standstill. 

He warned that KALPA's actions were putting the futures of the pilots and the company at risk as well as adding consequences to millions of Kenyans owing to their decision.

"It's unfair for the pilots to try and test the new administration with the strike. We are hoping that a decision will be reached as soon as possible...about 10,000 passengers have been affected so far," he said.

He noted that the pilots are not employed by the government, even though it has partial shares in the airline and that issues concerning KQ's human resources should be dealt with by the airline.

Kenya Airways feared that the strike would cost it on that day around Ksh300 million and if it persisted for a week, almost Ksh2.1 billion.