Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen registered protests over a social media statement that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines shared on Saturday, January 28, alleging civil unrest in Nairobi.
In a statement, Murkomen maintained that the claims shared by the Dutch Royal airline were misleading and insensitive.
The former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator insisted that the information shared and later pulled down by the airline was tantamount to ruining Kenya’s reputation and would affect other flights heading into the country.
File photo of KLM Royal Dutch airline taking off.
Sky Team “I have officially registered my protest with the airline against this unfounded, false, insensitive and misleading information that paints Kenya in a bad light,” Murkomen’s statement read in part.
“We are therefore shocked that the airline would spread such fabricated, malicious and false allegations without fact-checking and considering the probable effects to our country’s image and economy,” Murkomen added.
To address the claims, Murkomen assured Kenyans and other travellers that he had spoken with Dutch Airline KLM’s Country Representative in Kenya and escalated the matter to avoid a diplomatic fallout.
“Whereas this post has been pulled down from KLM’s social media pages, we will escalate the discussion through diplomatic channels to ensure the same does not recur,” Murkomen assured the transport stakeholders.
Additionally, Murkomen maintained that Kenya was peaceful and was keen to become a regional hub for trade, investment and tourism.
Further, the Netherlands embassy in Kenya dismissed the reports that KLM flights to Kenya had been cancelled.
“Information is circulating on social media that KLM might cancel flights to and from Kenya. Flights have continued and will be continued according to schedule,” Netherlands Embassy stated.
“No travel warning for Kenya has been issued by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya. For more information on KLM flights, please check the KLM website,” it added.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen speaking at an event on December 6, 2022.
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Kipchumba Murkomen
