Kenya Airways(KQ) confirms that on Friday, April 19th, 2024, two of its employees at their Airport office in Kinshasa were arrested and continue to be detained by the Military Intelligence Unit known as Detection Militaire des Activities Anti Patrie (DEMIAP).
During their arrest, their phones were seized, and all access has been denied. On April 23rd 2024, the Kenyan embassy officials and a few KQ staff were allowed to visit them but only for a few minutes.
Their arrest was alleged to missing custom documentation on valuable cargo that was to be transported on a Kenya Airways flight on April 12th, 2024. However, Kenya Airways wishes to state that the said cargo was not uplifted or accepted by Kenya Airways due to incomplete documentation.
On April 24th, 2024, Kenya Airways filed an application in the military court for the two to be released unconditionally. The court heard the matter on April 25th, 2024, and granted Kenya Airways’s request that the two staff members be released to allow due process. Despite the court orders, the military intelligence unit is still holding them incommunicado, yet these are civilians being held in a military intelligence facility.
According to Kenya Airways, the cargo was not on the airside for transportation and, therefore, not in the possession of Kenya Airways due to incomplete documentation but security alleged that KQ was transporting cargo without customs clearance.
The Airline says it is perturbed by this action targeting innocent staff and consider it harassment targeting Kenya Airways’ business.
