Kenya Airways has been given a 14-day ultimatum to respond to the suspension letter of an employee whom it accused of filming and circulating a video showing a China Southern plane landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
While giving the directions on Thursday morning, Justice Weldon Korir also extended orders barring the arrest of Gire Ali, the accused employee, pending hearing of the case.
Kenya Airways given 14 days to respond to Gire Ali suspension letter ; Justice Weldon Korir also extends orders barring his arrest pending the hearing of his case.
— Obuchunju Henix đź’Ž (@Obuchunju) March 5, 2020
On Wednesday, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia reprimanded Gire Ali for what he terms as having engaged in an illegality at the Airport.
Ali was suspended after the video showing the China plane with 239 passengers landing at JKIA went viral.
His suspension followed widespread speculation that the passengers could have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus.
CS Macharia came out, however, to state that Ali was not a whistleblower in the incident but had committed a crime.
“Ali was not a whistleblower, you don’t whistleblow on a Boeing 787 arriving at 7 am, that flight was not arriving at night in secret, so what was he whistleblowing?” quippedCS Macharia.
“He committed an illegality, you do not as a security officer, secretly film a security installation…and the legal system will see what to do with him,” he added.
Two medical practitioners and a lawyer successfully petitioned the courts to bar all flights from China into the country.