Ebola: State sends team to Liberia as KQ maintains flights

Kenya Airways will maintain flights to and from the West Africa region that has been hit by an Ebola outbreak, as the government prepares to send two doctors on a fact-finding mission to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The government has also appointed a crisis committee to address issues arising from screening of passengers at international airports.

The two doctors will be travelling to Liberia's capital Monrovia and Freetown in Sierra Leone on Friday, health cabinet secretary James Macharia told a media briefing in Thursday.

"We don't have Ebola in this country. We sent some of our doctors to the areas affected even before this outbreak started. We are sending those two doctors there for additional reassurance that we can actually rely on information coming from that place," said Mr Macharia.

TRAVEL ADVISORY

The health secretary added that Kenya will not issue a travel advisory against travelling to Monrovia.

Kenya Airways Chief Executive Titus Naikuni said the airline relies on medical experts from government and the World Health Organization (WHO), both of who have yet to advise the management to stop flights to West Africa.

Mr Naikuni said the airline is keen not jeopardise the country's safety and will stop flights to the Ebola-hit region when advised to do so.

He argued that five other international airlines, including Delta airline, are still flying to Monrovia because they have been advised by their respective countries to maintain the route.

'NOT AFTER MONEY'

"We are not after money. We are doing what we are doing because of the advice we have received. Kenya Airways is a responsible corporate citizen, we will not in any way put this country to danger either by our own operations or by collusion," said Mr Naikuni.

He added that the revenues from the West Africa routes are significant but " contrary to what many have said, it is not half of what we get, not even a quarter. It is far less than that."

Transport secretary Michael Kamau, who was also at the media briefing, said: " Delta airline is flying from Monrovia to the United States; and from the way I know the (US )National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) takes issues of safety very seriously."