Airlines shun Kenya police, turn to private security
Kenya Airways Titus Naikuni and his Finance Director Alex Mbugua address journalists. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Police maintain law and order but guards are responsible for cargo and passengers
Airlines using the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have been hiring private security firms to guard passengers, cargo and aircraft rather than rely on the Kenya Airports Authority or the police.
Aviation experts say private airport security guards are common in war zones, but rare in relatively stable nations like Kenya. Still, national carrier Kenya Airways is among those using a private security firm at the Nairobi airport.
“We don’t believe the security we get out of the airport is enough,” Titus Naikuni, Kenya Airways group managing director, was quoted by the Associated Press.
Mr Naikuni said Kenyan police may be lacking in security coverage, but they do well in intelligence gathering.
Efforts to get comments from the Kenya Airports Authority corporate communications manager, Mr Dominic Ngige, were futile as his phone went unanswered.
However, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said there was nothing unique about airlines having private security.
“The private guards just complement the security offered by government law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Ever since the airports authority established its own security personnel, Mr Kiraithe said, police only maintain law and order on airport premises. KAA personnel are responsible for cargo safety.
Although there is no immediate threat of terrorism to the airport, previous incidents have raised concerns, according to Associated Press reports.
Al-Qaeda operatives bombed the US embassy in 1998, killing more than 200 people. In 2002, a car bomb exploded at the seaside Paradise hotel frequented by Israeli tourists, killing 15 people.
The question of security at the Nairobi airport was raised again last month when Delta Airlines abruptly cancelled an inaugural flight from Atlanta to Nairobi after the Transportation Security Administration refused to sanction the route.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport plays a major role in Kenya’s business and tourism. International airlines operating there include Air India, British Airways, Emirates, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
