Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is calling for a National Police investigation into possible acts of sabotage and cover-up at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) following a blackout that affected terminals 1A and 1E.
The blackout occurred during a nationwide power outage, and while standby generators promptly restored power in most parts of JKIA, terminals 1A and 1E remained in darkness for a while.
Murkomen on JKIA issues
Murkomen through a statement on his X account stated that along with other officials, they assessed the situation at the airport and assured that the ongoing problems at JKIA would be progressively addressed.
“A power outage was experienced in many parts of the country tonight. Changeover to the standby generators ensured power was immediately restored to most parts of JKIA. Regrettably, supply did not immediately resume at terminals 1A and 1E,” he stated.
“In the wake of tonight’s incident, I led a team composed of PS Transport, Kenya Airports Authority Board Chairman and Managing Director among other KAA officials to assess the situation at the airport. As you may be aware, there have been problems with JKIA which we have been addressing progressively,” he revealed.
Given the strategic national importance of JKIA, Murkomen formally requested the National Police Service to investigate potential acts of sabotage or cover-up due to the frequency of power disruptions at the airport.
“Considering the frequency of the power disruption, and taking into account the fact that JKIA is a facility of strategic national importance, we are making a formal request to the National Police Service to investigate possible acts of sabotage and cover-up,” Murkomen stated.
JKIA cleanup
Murkomen confirmed that the cleanup efforts at JKIA would continue, and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Board is directed to carry on with a reform agenda and implement recommendations from a technical committee report.
“In the meantime, the cleanup of the mess at JKIA continues. The KAA Board is under strict instructions to carry on with the reform agenda and the management to implement, as directed, the report of the technical committee which I recently constituted,” Murkomen added.
Earlier power disruptions in August led to the dismissal of KAA Managing Director Alex Gitari and General Engineering Manager Fred Odawo, with new appointments made to address the challenges.
