This archive report was first published on 25 August 2019.
Kenya's transport CS James Macharia has been accused of turning a blind eye to a discriminatory and potentially cancer-causing practice of spraying insecticides in aircraft cabins before takeoff from JKIA. This practice, known as disinsection, is not carried out when the same airlines leave JFK in New York or Heathrow, London.
Major airlines such as Saudia and KLM spray insecticides in their planes before takeoff from JKIA, but not when they leave other airports like Amsterdam Schiphol or Jeddah for Nairobi. Kenya Airways, on the other hand, does not reciprocate and douse its cabins with carcinogens when leaving Schiphol or Jeddah.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Association, disinsection is authorized, but passengers are not informed about the reasons behind the practice, the type of insecticide used, or its safety.
Professor Makau Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School and Chair of KHRC, has spoken out against the practice, citing concerns about public health. He has traveled extensively and has asked cabin crew about the practice, only to receive blank stares or non-responsive responses.
Professor Mutua argues that the use of insecticides in enclosed spaces like airplane cabins is a serious public health matter, and that passengers should be informed about the risks involved. He also questions why Kenya permits the practice, especially when other countries do not.
As Professor Mutua notes, "Typically, as the crew sprays the cabin, a voice comes over the public address system to tell helpless passengers, and I am quoting, ‘We are spraying the cabin with an insecticide that’s not harmful or dangerous.’" However, he points out that the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Association authorize disinsection, but passengers are not told why they are spraying, what the insecticide is, or why it’s not harmful or dangerous.
Professor Mutua concludes that the use of insecticides in aircraft cabins is a discriminatory practice that should be banned or at a minimum done when passengers aren’t on board.
