Kenya Airways' statement read that all its pilots in the country as well as the crew go through very rigorous training.
As per the Carrier, Due diligence is conducted in the Recruitment process including verification of documents from the institution where an applicant attended training.
Kenya Airways (KQ) has released a statement to claims that went viral on social media alleging that one of its pilots flew its airplanes for eight years without a valid pilot’s license. Kenya Airways has rubbished claims in the process.
The Kenyan National Carrier was responding to social media claims and a news story circulating on online blogs alleging that the said pilot operated the plane for nearly a decade.
"The General Public is advised to treat this as Fake News as no such pilot has ever flown for Kenya Airways," Kenya Airways said on social media platform X
Kenya Airways said all its pilots as well as the crew go through very rigorous training, background, and security checks to ensure that they are qualified to operate during the recruitment process.
“All Kenya Airways pilots and crew go through very rigorous training, background, and security checks to ensure that they are qualified to operate."
Further, the national carrier said due diligence is conducted while vetting applicants including verification of documents from the institution where an applicant attended training.
KQ also highlighted the process of regular Audits in the Airline,
"KQ operates in a highly regulated environment with regular audits from several regulators across its network."
According to Kenya Airways, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) issues and renews all pilot licences annually after confirming that the bearer possesses the necessary education and experience.
“All pilots licenses are issued and renewed annually by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), upon establishing that the holder has met required knowledge and experiences.”
The statement was published due to the ongoing debate regarding Brian Mwenda, a man who has been accused of theft of identity while allegedly practising as a lawyer. Few Kenyans took the matter to the social media to defend him saying this has happened in other professional spaces as well.
During this social media debate, one user on platform X by the name of Ja Loka (Fels1) made a claim that even Kenya Airways once had a man impersonating a pilot for many years.
"In 2021, a man was caught after flying KQ planes for 8 years without a license and with a fake KCSE cert. Mugo wa Wairímú treated patients without stepping into med school. Today, a guy has been caught after winning 26 cases without ever stepping into law school. Overhaul our system!," Fels1 said.
However, the nationa airline has urged the public to ignore the fake news and assured them of its safety and quality standards.
