On Wednesday evening, the financially struggling Kenya 15s side finally flew out to France where they are meant to battle it out in the 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying repêchage tournament in Marseille. Caption: Ethiopian Airlines throw a public jab at Kenya Airways as the KQ sponsored team is pictured next to the plane before takeoff. This is just a few weeks after the Kenya Rugby Union was forced to plead with the government to release cash meant for the Simbas after players staged a sit-in demanding their three-month salaries and allowances.
What caught Kenyans' eyes, however, was the fact that the national carrier Kenya Airways couldn't stretch out a helping hand despite the team facing a huge financial crisis that almost threatened to halt their trip to France. This anger was fueled even futher since the government had paid tons of influencers to promote KQs maiden direct flight to New York and even catered for their travel costs.
The team ironically sponsored by KQ, opted to fly out using the less expensive Ethiopian Airlines in a bid to cut off some expenses. Kenyans have now come out to condemn Kenya Airways for their absence when the team needed them the most.
Here are some of the reactions online.
https://twitter.com/Kenyafootball/status/1059058900891262976?s=19