JKIA Blackout: KAA Boss Alex Gitari Fired

Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen has terminated the contract of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) managing director Alex Gitari.

Speaking on Saturday, the CS who held a crisis meeting at the KAA offices at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), said Gitari will be replaced by Henry Ogoye in an acting capacity.

The changes, he said, take effect immediately.

“By Mutual consent, the contract of Mr Alex Gitari who had been the managing director of Kenya Airports Authority has been terminated. In his place Mr Henry Ogoye who has been Head of Corporate Affairs,” he said.

Also sacked was General Manager Engineering Fred Odawo. JKIA airport manager Abel Gogo was transferred to Mombasa.

Selina Gor, Kisumu Airport manager, was transferred to JKIA. She will replace Odawo with immediate effect.

“I wish to issue unreserved apology to all travellers and airport users who were affected in one way or the other by the power disruption at JKIA,” Murkomen said.

Read: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Power Outage Linked To System Failures

The outage affected Terminal 1A, the biggest and “the jewel” of this busy hub, Murkomen said.

The control tower and the runways, he insisted, were not affected.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the incident though regrettable did not pose any danger to our incoming and outgoing flights and passengers considering that the backup generator lighting the runway and control tower was seamlessly deployed when the blackout occurred and at no time did we have an iota of darkness on the runway and the tower,” he said.

The incident, the CS said, was inexcusable and “we should have prepared for this, and we are not allowed to give any excuses.”

KAA, Murkomen said, has since begun the process of hiring permanent staff to take these positions, in an exercise that will be concluded within two weeks.

“In order to ensure that a similar incident is not replicated, it has been decided that the two generators that were procured more than two years ago be immediately commissioned,” said Murkomen.

He went on: “I assure the country and the world that we have taken measures to enhance capacity of technical experts in the engineering department to ensure this incident does not recur.”

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