Kenya Airways (KQ) Raises Concerns Over Detained Staff in DR Congo
Kenya Airways (KQ) has lodged a protest against the military authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo, alleging that two of its employees have been held since last week despite a court order for their release.
The two individuals were apprehended by DR Congo’s military intelligence unit last Friday on suspicions related to missing customs documentation concerning “valuable” cargo, as stated in a release by KQ.
According to the airline, its staff members were detained despite not having officially accepted the cargo in question.
Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways, stated, “The logistical handler was in the process of completing documentation before transferring it to KQ.”
Efforts to clarify this to military officials, indicating that KQ had not finalized acceptance due to incomplete documentation, reportedly yielded no success.
On Tuesday, representatives from the Kenyan embassy and a team from the airline were briefly allowed to visit the detained employees.
KQ reported that a Congolese military court, on Thursday, granted the airline’s plea for the employees’ release pending further investigation.
The detained employees have had their phones confiscated and are unable to communicate with the outside world, KQ asserted.
Despite court directives, the military intelligence unit continues to hold them incommunicado, which the CEO described as targeting innocent staff and constituting harassment against Kenya Airways’ operations.
The nature of the cargo remains unclear, with no official comment yet from authorities in DR Congo.