Rangwe MP demands law to combat farting on planes

Rangwe MP has demanded a law to combat farting on planes arguing that it can cause 'discomfort and insecurity on board' flights.

Dr Lilian Achieng Gogo made the comments while MPs were debating the adoption of a report on the consideration of the protocol to amend the convention of offenses and certain acts committed on board aircrafts.

TRANSPORT LAW

MPs want basic systems introduced aboard flights to check the level of discomfort that passengers undergo through especially during long flights.

The amendments to the Montreal protocol of 2014, were presented to the House on July 6, 2019, by the government and have since been undergoing public participation by the Transport Committee chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing.

MP Gogo bitterly complained of how she has had to endure periods of uneasiness that she says should now be a thing of the past if security aboard aircraft is to be enhanced.

“There is one irritant that is often ignored and this is the level of farting within the aircraft. There are passengers, who literary irritate fellow passengers by passing bad smell and uncomfortable fart.

“If there is anyone given irritant that makes people fight on board, it is the fart, it is terrible within the plane,” Dr Gogo said. 

If this is not managed well, she said, it can cause insecurity on board.

TRAINING

But when challenged by temporary speaker Christopher Omulele (Luanda) on how she intends to have farting and flatulence aboard air crafts checked and if possible stopped, she said special training of aircraft crew should be undertaken.

“We need special training on aircraft crew so that they provide medicines like bicarbonate of soda after to passengers after meals and drinks have been served. We should also have paramedics, who are trained in basic first aid included in the international and local flights,” Dr Gogo said.

She noted that providing the basic medical systems to manage food that is offered aboard flights will reduce the level of gas that one can exude within the flight.

She said the matter is worsened by the fact that passengers are immobilised for long hours, predisposing them to offensive emissions.

The lawmaker said that the bad habit has not spared the local flights either. She pointed out that Kisumu-Nairobi, and Nairobi-Mombasa flights are especially prone to high levels of farting.

“If I am the only one who has experienced this, then I think the rest of us are very lucky. We should have basic provisions of medicines such as Eno other than paracetamols on the flight.”

“I have experienced passengers go through the agony of long flights. We cannot be secure on board when the other passengers are experiencing discomfort. Farting and flatulence is done progressively and can be contained,” she said.

SECURITY

The legislator also called for the limitation of the amount of alcohol served in aircraft noting that it is even worse than “what we do on the ground”.

She noted that medical records of passengers should be obtained first before they are served certain foods and drinks including alcohol, for their own security.

There have been cases of passengers fighting on board flights either because they have become unruly after consuming too much alcohol or have been offended by the level of bad smell caused by farting among others.

This is dangerous as it can cause aircrafts to crash courtesy of behaviour that can be managed.

On Wednesday, Mr Pkosing said that it would have greatly informed the report of the committee on the amendments to the protocol had Dr Gogo presented her comments to the committee.