By BMJ Muriithi in Atlanta,
KEN has authoritatively confirmed that the cancellation of Delta's inaugural flight from Atlanta to Nairobi, Tuesday, was due to a terrorist threat.
A statement from the office of US Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, says that she personally called the chief executive of the world’s largest airline and informed him of a possible attack on the aircraft using Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by terrorists armed with shoulder-launched missiles.
The US government had earlier said that the last minute cancellation of the much publicized Delta flight was due to security concerns in and around Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
And speaking from Washington DC, Kenya's ambassador to the United States, Peter Ogego, said he was equally surprised by the last minute cancellation. "Our Transport Minister, Hon. Chirau Ali Mwakwere and I were at the airport ready to board the aircraft when we received the news of the change. The new development has come as a surprise to us, but we are closely monitoring the situation", he told KEN by phone shortly before he and Mr Mwakwere boarded a KLM flight to Kenya via Amsterdam.
The US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Raenneberger, has since been summoned by Kenyan government officials to explain the cancellation. Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister, Moses Wetang'ula, was quoted as saying that the action by the US government was contemptuous and unacceptable. "They can surely do better than that. Friends do not communicate through website postings", he said.
It is clear that due to the speed and urgency with which this action was taken, the US government did not have ample time to brief its ambassador in Nairobi. He was caught unaware and hence was at pains to explain the cancellation.
Observers believe that the prospect of direct flights from US to Kenya would have great economic impact on the East African nation, whose tourism sector is reeling from the effects of post-election violence and destruction. Others view it as a golden opportunity to strengthen and fully tap into the potential of AGOA trade agreement between the two nations.
This is the first time the Department of Homeland Security has intervened to stop international service by a Commercial U.S. carrier. Delta would have been the first U.S. airline to serve Nairobi in 21 years. The last American Airline to fly directly to Nairobi was Panam, which terminated its flights in 1988.
Kenya’s government issued a statement Tuesday saying security at Nairobi’s airport is “excellent,” adding that “the reasons for the postponement by Delta are still not clear".
And in a written statement, Mr Raenneberger said that the US government will continue to work with the government of Kenya and Delta to enable service from Atlanta to Nairobi to begin as soon as possible.
TSA also denied approval for Delta’s planned new route from New York to Monrovia, Liberia, saying the airport doesn’t meet international security standards.
But even with the new development, most Kenyans who spoke to KEN were furious over the manner in which the cancellation was done. Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, Zachary Dominic Muburi-Muita termed the action "untenable". "Even the manner in which this communication was done is suspect and smacks of lack of diplomatic etiquett", said Mr Muita in a phone interview with KEN on Wednesday. In Atlanta, the feeling was mutual. "I can't believe that the US can treat us with so much disrespect. Must the government officials humiliate us like this? They should have communicated the new development to their Kenyan counterparts before going public", said Dr Robert Ndonga, an Atlanta-based Kenyan whose wife was scheduled to take the maiden flight to Nairobi.
EDITOR'S NOTE: KEN was the first Newspaper to carry this story when it broke on Tuesday. Other Newsrooms, including the Voice of America, called the Newspaper and interviewed this reporter before carrying their edition of this developing story.
