Kenya Airways vs Wetangula: Would You Risk Losing Your Job?

By Jane Okoth,
As with many jobs that require one to interact with people of all ages, being a flight attendant is no exception.

This is because of the drama which unfolded between Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula and Kenya airways staff.

According to stories making headlines in media houses, there was a standoff at the international airport where the senator was ejected on a KQ plane on grounds that he had not produced his national identification card before boarding.

What if you were in the shoes of the Kenya airways staff, would you have handled the situation differently?

Speaking over the matter, Wetangula was unhappy with what he called “lack of respect and quorum from the airline, one he says he has helped grow over the years.”

“An identity card is not a travel document. I was accosted by some angry looking lady. She asked me to get out of the plane in full view of members of the public. It was embarrassing,” he said of the ordeal.

As the senator awaits a public apology from the airliner, parliament is set to discuss the conduct of the Kenya airways staff and its future engagement with the airliner.

“Rules are rules and have to be followed. But I think the airline staff went too far because it was not necessary to force the senator out of the plane.” Says Alfred Ojiambo, a communications officer at a local N.G.O.

“The senator was at fault but the staff should not have treated him like that because two wrongs don’t make it right,” he concludes.

Bethany Kaloki, an administrative officer at a leading law firm also agrees with the opinion.

“I would not have acted like that if I was the staff. What if her irrational decision costs her the job?” she asks.

“We all know how influential and powerful these individuals are and we can pray that she retains her job.

The fact that you work in an airline means that you deal with a lot of people day in day out. That automatically requires patience and accommodation from you,” she says.

She concludes that “If I was in her shoes, I would have consulted the management on how to handle the matter or even pardon him because the guy is a leader.”

“The lady did nothing wrong as the senator tries to portray her in a negative manner,” says Annabel Njuno, a customer care assistant at a communications company.

“No one is above the law whether you are a politician, senator or ordinary civilian. The lady was only doing her work and I don’t think her decision will make her jobless,” she says.

“She was acting according to the company’s rules and regulations. If carrying an ID is part of the rules then do so to avoid problems,” she concludes.

“If I were her, I would certainly not risk my job and just let the senator get away with it but give him a warning not to forget his identification card a second time,” says Felix Muthui, a graphic designer at a consultancy firm.

If she would have been a little bit lenient with the senator, then this mess would not have happened because her job is now one the line,” he opines.

What would you have done if you were in the shoes of the “angry” flight attendant as alleged by the senator?

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