Kenya Airways pilots have suspended a strike that was scheduled to begin today, offering major relief for the already troubled airline.
Officials of the Kenya Airlines Pilots Association (KALPA) announced yesterday evening that their day-long negotiations held with various government ministries had yielded a compromise on their demands.
Among their biggest score was the appointment of former Safaricom chief executive Michael Joseph as chairman. Top KQ officials and Chief Executive Mbuvi Ngunze, who were targets of the strike threat, survived the pilots’ onslaught – at least for now.
Kalpa Secretary General Paul Gichinga said the pilots had agreed to call off the strike after assurances from the state that their demands would be met. “We trust that the management of Kenya Airways will abide by the assurances and commitments it has given us,” Mr Gichinga said in a press conference yesterday evening before announcing that the strike had been deferred.
