Kenya Airways confirms that on Friday, April 19th, 2024, two of his employees at his Airport office in Kinshasa were arrested and continue to be detained by the Military Intelligence Unit known as Detection Militaire des Activities Anti Patrie (DEMIAP). During their arrest, their phones were seized, and all access to them has been denied. On April 23rd 2024, the Kenyan embassy officials and a few KQ staff were allowed to visit them but only for a few minutes.
The reason for their arrest was alleged to be missing custom documentation on valuable cargo that was to be transported on a Kenya Airways flight on April 12th, 2024. However, Kenya Airways wishes to state that the said cargo was not uplifted or accepted by Kenya Airways due to incomplete documentation.
On April 24th, 2024, Kenya Airways filed an application in the military court for the two to be released unconditionally. The court heard the matter on April 25th, 2024, and granted Kenya Airways’s request that the two staff members be released to allow due process. Despite the court orders, the military intelligence unit is still holding them incommunicado, yet these are civilians being held in a military intelligence facility.
According to Kenya Airways, the facts on the incident are as follows:
1. The cargo was not on the airside for transportation and, therefore, not in the possession of Kenya Airways as the logistic handler was still completing documentation before handing it over to Kenya Airways.
2. This cargo was still in the baggage section undergoing clearance when the security team arrived and alleged that Kenya Airways was transporting cargo without customs clearance.
3. All efforts to explain to the military officers that Kenya Airways had not accepted the cargo because of incomplete documentation proved futile.
4. The military officers took the two employees to the military side of the air wing (DEMIAP) to record statements. They were held incommunicado until 23RD April, when the Embassy officials and Kenya Airways team were allowed to visit them.
Kenya Airways clarify that it adheres to international best practices in handling and transporting cargo. The airline has stringent processes and compliance checks known as ‘Ready for carriage’ to ensure any cargo ferried on our flights meets all the statutory requirements across our destinations. All Kenya Airways logistics partners MUST comply with these measures before Kenya Airways accepts any cargo. These include:
1. Documentation must be compliant and approved by the relevant agencies and regulators of the cargo being ferried.
2. The appropriate authorities must sign and approve security and safety checks, such as weight and relevant documentation.
3. No cargo can be accepted until customs endorsement is given.
All cargo must pass the ‘Ready for Carriage’ compliance checks before Kenya Airways accepts it, and this is the responsibility of the shipper or logistics partner, not Kenya Airways. Kenya Airways is perturbed by this action targeting innocent staff and consider it harassment targeting Kenya Airways’ business. Kenya Airways continues to cooperate with the investigating agencies and is working with the relevant Government entities in both DRC and Kenya to ensure this matter is resolved. (End)