Two Kenya Airways Employees Arrested, Detained By Military In Kinshasa

Kenya’s state-owned airline has accused the Republic of Congo’s military of holding two of its staffers since last Friday over cargo issues. Kenya Airways, known as KQ, said on Friday the staffers were arrested in its airport office in the capital, Kinshasa, over missing documentation for cargo that the airline had not accepted.

Two Kenya Airways (KQ) employees have been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa.

Although the specific contents of the cargo hasn’t been disclosed, it was said to be “valuable”.

                 File image of a Kenya Airways plane. PHOTO| COURTESY

Airline CEO Allan Kilavuka said in a statement that “all efforts to explain to the military officers that KQ had not accepted the cargo because of incomplete documentation proved futile”.

He mentioned that the employees’ mobile phones were confiscated, and their coworkers and embassy representatives were given few minutes with them.

He added that the airline submitted a request to the military court for the release of the employees, which was approved on Thursday.

Reports say that “Despite the court orders, the military intelligence unit is still holding them incommunicado

In a statement confirming the arrest, KQ Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka on Friday said the two staffers were apprehended by the Military Intelligence Unit in Kinshasa over “missing custom documentation on valuable cargo.”

Mr. Kilavuka however faulted the authorities in Kinshasa for arresting the duo stating that they were being held contrary to a court order, adding that the cargo in question had not been uplifted or accepted by KQ.