This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
On November 13, 2019, a Kenyan stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways plane in London, sparking a controversy over his employment status.
Colnet Limited, a cleaning company, and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) have denied reports that the stowaway, identified as Paul Manyasi, was their employee.
According to Sky News, Manyasi used to work for Colnet as a cleaner at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), but the company has contradicted the reports, stating that there is no employee by the name Paul Manyasi.
Colnet further stated that for an employee to work in the restricted areas of the airport, they require a special pass, which is only issued after thorough vetting by KAA authority.
“Colnet is aware of the incident by way of fact that there were investigations carried out on the stowaway incident and the company has provided all its employees’ records and information to the investigative authorities which confirm that there is no employee by the name Paul Manyasi. This fact can easily be ascertained by KAA,” said Colnet in a statement.
Similarly, KAA has also denied the reports, stating that the name Paul Manyasi does not appear in the JKIA register.
“A security multia-gency team has conducted investigations on the allegations made in the (Sky News) news article to the effect that the stowaway worked at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and would like to state that the identity of the stowaway is an open and active investigation and any information received will be investigated to ensure a factual conclusion,” KAA said in a statement.
