A leading city lawyer has threatened to sue Kenya Airways over the cancellation of a flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi that allegedly left him, his wife and four family members stranded at the airport for more than seven hours.
Senior Counsel Paul Muite, through Andrew M. Agaruiya & Co. Advocates, issued the national carrier with a seven-day ultimatum to refund the cost of their unused tickets, reimburse the family for a private charter flight and pay damages for the inconvenience, distress and disruption allegedly caused by the airline.
The demand letter relates to Flight KQ491, which was scheduled to depart Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar at 10:10 a.m. on August 31, 2026.
Muite and his family arrived at the airport at 8:10 a.m., checked in, received boarding passes and cleared immigration after they were allegedly assured that the flight was operating.
However, at about 10 a.m., the flight status was changed to “Delayed”, with the family claiming they were not given adequate information on the cause or expected duration of the delay.
The legal team says the family later discovered that the aircraft scheduled to operate the flight had not left Nairobi.
Passengers allegedly waited until about 3:45 p.m., when a Zanzibar Airport employee, not a Kenya Airways representative informed them that the flight had been cancelled.
According to the demand letter, the stranded passengers were not provided with accommodation, food or other assistance, but were instead directed to collect their luggage and wait for communication from Kenya Airways.
The situation allegedly left passengers distressed, including a three-year-old child who endured the prolonged wait without basic provisions such as drinking water.
With no immediate alternative provided by the airline, Muite and his family arranged a private charter flight to Nairobi at a cost of USD20,500.
They also incurred an additional sh52,650 in related charter expenses.
The family is further demanding a 50 per cent refund of the sh596,450 paid for the return Kenya Airways tickets, amounting to sh298,225, for the unutilised portion of the journey.
The disruption also allegedly prevented Muite from attending scheduled meetings in Nairobi.
Through his lawyers, Muite has demanded that Kenya Airways accept liability and reimburse the charter and related expenses, refund the unused portion of the air tickets and pay general damages for the alleged inconvenience, frustration, distress and disruption.
The lawyers have also demanded a written explanation from the airline over why Flight KQ491 continued to be displayed as “on time” on its platforms and why passengers were allegedly assured at the check-in counter that the flight was operational despite its subsequent cancellation.
Kenya Airways has been given seven days from the date of the demand letter to resolve the matter.
The lawyers have warned that failure to comply will result in legal proceedings against the airline.
“TAKE NOTICE that unless Kenya Airways satisfactorily resolves this matter and complies with the foregoing demands within SEVEN (7) DAYS from the date hereof, we have mandatory instructions to commence legal proceedings against the Company,” the letter states.
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