This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On April 11, 2019, Kenya Airline Pilots Association General Secretary Capt. Murithi Nyagah and Vice Chairman Timothy Njoroge appeared before the National Assembly Transport Committee to discuss the JKIA takeover at County Hall in Nairobi.
Kenya Airways (KQ) pilots have filed a trade dispute with the Labour Ministry, seeking arbitration over the airline's decision to recruit foreign pilots on contract. The move is part of the airline's plan to hire 20 pilots on two-year contracts to fly its Boeing 737 fleet.
The local pilots, under the aegis of the Kenya Association of Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa), claim that the airline has contravened some clauses in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), particularly on Kenyanisation. This clause renounces the employment of foreigners at the expense of locals.
“The CBA says you cannot bring in direct entry pilots at the expense of local personnel who are within the company and can be able to take up those positions,” said Kalpa Secretary-General Murithi Nyagah. “The CBA is a legally binding document for both parties who are signatories… as it is right now, we’ve filed a trade dispute on the matter.”
KQ has defended its decision, stating that it would enable the airline to increase its talent pool and plug the crew shortage serving its 737 fleets. The airline faces a pilot shortage, with 414 pilots operating a schedule that requires approximately 600 pilots.
Mr. Nyagah insisted that local pilots must be hired on a permanent and pensionable basis and lamented the slow recruitment process by KQ. The airline recently stated that the pilot shortage has resulted in an annual loss of Sh5 billion.
