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{
    "id": 614048,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/614048/?format=api",
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    "content": "Fifth, I also want to echo the sentiments by the previous speakers that we cannot have a national carrier having a contradiction on firing local Staff, Kenyan citizens and, at the same time, through the backdoor hiring foreign nationals to do the same jobs that Kenyans would have done. I have nothing against foreigners, but the law is very clear on what foreign engagement is supposed to be permitted under our laws. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I found a very interesting observation by the Committee which I think should be pursued, that there were discrepancies between the list supplied by the Director of Immigration Services on how many foreign workers are working for KQ vis-à-vis the list that was availed by the Airline themselves and, therefore, it is not just a labour issue, not an industrial issue or a management issue. It poses security challenges if there is a disconnect between the records the Immigration Department has and what the Airline is supplying in terms of foreign workers. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of capital injection is welcome, but I support what Sen. Hassan said. If we are putting this enormous amount of money to resuscitate KQ, then we must do it under stringent conditions. The missing recommendation here is to prosecute people who are culpable. I do not know why the Committee shied away from facing the issue of accountability. This airline has collapsed under the leadership of human beings and because of bad practices and it is not enough to ask for resignation or replacement. We need to see accountability and a proper inquiry that leads us to point fingers at the people that are responsible for the collapse of our airline. National carriers are a big pull factor for foreign investments, tourism and generally trade in goods and services. Therefore, we have no option, but to revive KQ. Finally, if Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is to be a regional hub for transport and aviation, then making it viable is not optional. It is not conceivable why and neither is it convincing that a ticket to Dar es Salaam on KQ business class is almost the same amount that a passenger spends on Ethiopian Airlines between Nairobi and London through Addis Ababa. There is no reason for that. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, recently I flew from some capital in an Asian country - which I do not want to name because it is a friendly country to Kenya - I was astonished that in a big Boeing 777 we were hardly 30 passengers. In fact, the cabin crew was more than the passengers. That is an indictment of the marketing intelligence and the capability of KQ in terms of approving some of the routes like they have done in the last few days. It is not enough to approve every other destination, but it must be backed by good market intelligence and research. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I strongly request that methods of holding those who have made our airline sink accountable be pursued beyond this Report. I support."
}