National carrier Kenya Airways on Saturday refuted claims doing rounds on social media that an unlicensed pilot had flown planes for the airline for 8 years.
In a statement, the national carrier reiterated that the claims were false and advised Kenyans to treat the information as fake news.
The airline, in its statement, maintained that at no particular time, has a pilot without the necessary qualifications ever worked for the carrier.
“All Kenya Airways pilots and crew go through very rigorous training, background, and security checks to ensure that they are qualified to operate,” the statement read in part.
This includes but is not limited to vetting applicants, which involves verification of documents from the institution where an applicant received training.
“Kenya Airways operates in a highly regulated environment with regular audits from a number of regulators across its network,” KQ stated.
The airline further assured Kenyans that all pilots' licences are issued and renewed annually by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
KCAA only renews the licence after they have established that the pilot meets the required threshold in terms of knowledge and experience.
Kenya Airways' response comes at a time when the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has directed the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome to investigate the case of quack lawyer Brian Mwenda who for years represented clients in court without having a licence.
Unverified claims state that Mwenda won 26 cases while masquerading as an advocate.
These reports captured the attention of Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Eric Theuri who described Mwenda as a fugitive who needs to be brought to justice.
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, meanwhile, has pledged to bail out Mwenda and see him through law school to ensure he gets back to practising.
