In a development that will no doubt be described as betrayal by some, national flyer Kenya Airways has announced its decision to hire employees from outside the country to fill the manpower gap left by the sacking of 600 of its staff.
“Plans are under way to increase the number of cabin crew from other markets such as India, Burundi, Rwanda and Ghana as we embrace the diverse cultures in the various routes that we operate,” said Naikuni.
The CEO added that the staff recruitment has already began;
“To improve our cabin services by being helpful, courteous and attentive to our customer needs, we have recruited an additional 220 people, out of whom 16 are of Thai origin,” Mr Naikuni said.
The news corresponds with what the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) had said in a press release earl this week while joining the protests by KQ’s workers union. The statement read in part;
“Kenya Airways is in the process of hiring flight attendants from India, Rwanda and Ghana, in addition to the existing foreign crew from Ghana and Thailand,” said the KALPA statement.
KALPA chief executive Ronald Karauri was particularly disparaging of the KQ management;
“We no longer have confidence in the management’s ability to successfully restructure the firm,” said Karauri.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
