End Kq Staff Arrests Saga

The arrest in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of two Kenya Airways employees is proving to be a tricky incident that could rock the otherwise cordial bilateral relations.

A DRC military intelligence unit is holding the Kenyans incommunicado at its facility in Kinshasa despite a court order for their release, with some local reports indicating the possibility of the cargo in the dispute having been a large amount of cash.

The Kenyan civilians should, ideally, not be held in military custody, but are still being detained. This must be a harrowing experience for them and the sooner it can be resolved the better for all the parties involved, and especially the airline, which counts Kinshasa as one of its key destinations in the region and on the continent.

The Congolese handling of the matter has sparked a protest by the Kenyan Foreign ministry. Principal Secretary Korir Singoei says Kenya has taken great exception to the detention of its citizens while carrying out their lawful duties.

Kenya National Assembly Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chairman Nelson Koech has described the incident as a serious infringement of the rights of the two individuals and a breach of the principles upon which the diplomatic ties between Nairobi and Kinshasa are based.

The staffers at the airlines airport office were arrested on April 19 for allegedly not having Customs documentation for some valuable cargo. KQ has called for their release, with CEO Allan Kilavuka pointing out that the cargo had neither been uplifted nor accepted by the carrier as documentation had not been completed.

This matter should be quickly resolved as the airline provides a vital service to DRC, which only two years ago joined the East African Community (EAC) economic bloc comprising , the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.

Such diplomatic tensions do not augur well for EAC and should be resolved as quickly as possible.