Kenya Govt Acts on JKIA Officials Asking Bribes to Allow Travelers Board Planes
The government of Kenya is currently investigating allegations of bribery at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The Chairman of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Caleb Kositany has confirmed that the government is investigating bribery claims within the establishment. Last week, Clay Onyango made allegations that airport staff in Kenya are demanding bribes amounting to Sh50,000 to allow citizens to travel to Canada. Aside from this, he accused the airport officials of harassing tourists with visas and obliging them to pay bribes before boarding flights. Kositany shared screenshots suggesting that the authorities attempted to reach out to Clay right after he disclosed bribery claims in his TikTok videos on October 5.
Kositany asked Clay to submit more details regarding Kenyans holding tourist visas who were denied access to Toronto, Canada, with JKIA staff intervention. Clay has not responded to attempts by JKIA officials to reach him but his social media accounts reveal that he continued to question the competence of airport staff. In response to these allegations, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has vowed to carefully administer JKIA functions hoping to better manage and organize the airport processes.
In August, the airport's backup generators broke down and CS Murkomen immediately announced a crackdown on illegal operations at the Airport.
In October 2022, an official from the customs division of the Kenya Revenue Authority stationed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was detained by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. The basis for the arrest rested upon accusations of soliciting a bribe and facilitating tax evasion. Upon arrest, the individual was subsequently transported to Integrity Centre Police Station for booking and questioning. According to reports from the EACC, the customs official had demanded Sh 35,000 from someone attempting to obtain a laptop sent to Kenya from a relative in the United States.
The laptop in question incurred a taxation rate of Sh100,974 initially but was fraudulently assigned a lower value by the KRA customs official, thereby paying only Sh 12,000. The official sought a bribe for facilitating waived fees, leading to her apprehension while in the act of receiving it.
Comments
I have suggested to the…
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I have suggested to the government officials to allow all citizens (24/7) the use of their personal smart phones in order to record instances of bribery when requested by any government employee while on duty.
It is a shame that bribery is still alive and well 60 years after we achieved our independence from the British government.
UDA: You were not elected in order to harass the people of Kenya through your gross incompetence and the habit of turning a blind eye to activities that make the life of an ordinary citizen a daily nightmare.
At one point bribery at the…
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At one point bribery at the airport was so rampant that travelers complained,and the government was forced to somehow act,and is subsided.But apparently it just went quiet.This is very disappointing to say the least...
Of course those alleged culprits are allowed fair due process in the court,but they are not stupid.They try to stifle,and erase evidence as much as possible. So I agree with you @ SULUHISHO.Wananchi should be allowed means of gathering information without being harassed.
Again I ask,how did we reach at this stage of corruption.Surely we cannot blame Mzungu for this.I have traveled through many' Mzungu' airports,and have never been asked for a bribe.Mostly Iam met with a warm professional treatment,and a Bon voyage... Could it be that we are hiring untrustworthy,and corrupt individuals to start with?If so why? I guess it comes back to CORRUPTION.
Most of us agree that corruption is bad for society,and yet we continue engaging in it.Shame on us.Unfortunately shame does not appear to have any impact.So what do we do now?
I don't think wazungu are…
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In reply to At one point bribery at the… by Maxiley (not verified)
I don't think wazungu are less corrupt. They just have systems in place that they adhere to. The people of African continent tend to put up rules but without enforcement. If Menendez was renamed Bwana Muiru and moved to Kenya, this would be swept under the rug in no time. Did you, at any time, thick Moi, who did far worse than Trump was ever in peril of prosecution. Hell, we have a noted thief as the DP in Kenya and the charges were dropped and the stolen money released.
@ Mundumugo, going by…
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In reply to I don't think wazungu are… by Mūndūmūgo (not verified)
@ Mundumugo, going by Transparency International,the least corrupt countries are wazungus. Well unless you dont trust the surveys,and polls conducted by well respected pollsters.
However, you are right that mzungu has abetter system of checks and balances to keeps honest people honest,and to catch crooks.But as always, the system is as good as the operators.Right?
I don't think Africans are…
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In reply to @ Mundumugo, going by… by Maxiley (not verified)
I don't think Africans are inherently corrupt. In fact the Wazungu introduced corruption to Kenya. The difference is African checks and balances don't exist so there is little fear of consequences. Bribes are easily traceable here and I suspect any official offered a bribe would be afraid of a setup and jail time. One more thing, the British "gifted" us chiefs (a foreign system to the aGīkūyū) who became the progenitors of Kenya's ruling class post independence. That ruling class grabbed land and money at a prodigious rate both before and after independence. That class protects itself to this day and has little interest in pursuing or prosecuting those guilty of corruption since it's themselves. This same class has co-opted subsequent leaders (Moi, Ruto) infiltrated the Kibaki government and even had a go at ruling with the scion of one of the original corrupters (Uhuru).
I am fully in agreement with…
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I am fully in agreement with the sentiments expresed by Clay Onyango concerning the staus of JKIA staff.Yes,it is not an open secret anymore.JKIA is a conduit of bribery and corruption of the highest order.It is not even a secret anymore,it is done openly without fear or favor.Please act on it.
bribery is in our genes . we…
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In reply to I am fully in agreement with… by okonkwo bilo konzo (not verified)
bribery is in our genes . we bribe and others get bribed .we bribe because we think there is no alternative . if we refused to bribe each single one of us either to police , land office or customs then it will stop but that will be in another lifetime we are stuck
Devaluing the worth of…
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Devaluing the worth of electronics brought into the country for a bribe has been going on for many years. I don't think benefactors of that vice will complain at all.
Mike I beg to differ .If you…
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In reply to Devaluing the worth of… by Mike (not verified)
Mike I beg to differ .If you were in a hurry to get to point A,and the officer standing in your way,who is paid to facilitate your travel asks for a bribe in order to proceed,would you be happy? Granted you as the "benefactor" would get on with your journey after bribing would you be happy?You may not complain,but surely you would hope that you did not have to part with that unexpected and unwarranted expense.At least most of us travelers would.
Not complaining is abetting and aiding corruption.
Maxiley, if you are told to…
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In reply to Mike I beg to differ .If you… by Maxiley (not verified)
Maxiley, if you are told to pay Sh100,000 in import taxes at JKIA or simply slide a $20 bill in the afande's side pocket and all is ignored, what would you do?
@ MakOnyango, if I cannot…
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In reply to Maxiley, if you are told to… by MakOnyango (not verified)
@ MakOnyango, if I cannot afford Sh 100,000, i would grudgingly slide an Andrew Jackson,with the hope that the action was caught on camera.
Bty, would you initiate the sliding?
Flying with certi of US…
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Flying with certi of US citizenship and Kenya passport will charge you. They expect dough
The truth of the matter is,…
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The truth of the matter is, We as Africans do not have values. I will be shocked if there is no one commenting here who has never been conned and scammed by a family member or friends. Has any of you been scammed by people you are trying to help upon visiting Kenya?
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