Kenya Airways (KQ) is once again facing criticism following a foreign passenger’s complaint about alleged theft and mishandling of luggage, adding to a growing list of grievances against the national carrier.
A disgruntled traveller identified as Prof Abdinasir Ismail took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his ordeal, cautioning others against using Kenya Airways and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
"Avoid flying with Kenya Airways or passing through JKIA or you’ll end up like me, they completely ignored my complaint for 4 months. I was in transit 12 hours in JKIA, from LHR to Cape Town, they broke the padlock and stole all my valuables and left empty boxes inside my bag," the video caption read.
"The fault lies with KA LHR T4 station manager who refused for me to remove the valuable stuff," the Prof wrote."
A video shared by the passenger shows him at Cape Town Airport, audibly frustrated as he inspects his luggage and counts his losses.
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"This is Cape Town Airport, this is my bag Kenya Airways stole all my stuff. As you can see, all my perfumes, all my stuff. They broke my bag. I just came from that flight. KQ784 from Nairobi, they broke my bag and they stole all my perfumes, my clothes, all my stuff. This is Kenya Airways…thieves," he is heard saying.
The latest allegations come amid a series of controversies surrounding Kenya Airways and its handling of passengers and their luggage.
Recently, the airline was accused of mistreating a Nigerian passenger, Omisore G., who was reportedly denied boarding at JKIA despite holding a valid ticket.
The incident has sparked debate, with many questioning the airline’s treatment of local and foreign travellers.
In another case, Kenya Airways was accused of discrimination at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, where a Rabbi was allegedly barred from boarding a flight due to his appearance.
A video of the incident circulated online, prompting accusations of antisemitism against the airline.
These incidents have further tarnished KQ’s reputation, raising concerns about passenger treatment, security, and service quality.
On January 3, 2025, a passenger travelling on Kenya Airways flight KQ 415 from Entebbe to Nairobi complained at JKIA accusing the airline over tampering and theft of her luggage.
The visibly agitated woman traveler lamented that upon retrieving her bag when she landed at the airport, she discovered it had been vandalized and numerous valuable items stolen.
Five years ago, Kenya Airways was forced to publicly reach out to Ugandan socialite and entrepreneur Zari Hassan after she claimed four exquisite perfumes an expensive suit were stolen from her luggage aboard a KQ flight from Nairobi to Entebbe.
According to Zari, she had received the items from her friends in Dubai on her birthday but they mysteriously vanished while she was airborne in a KQ flight to Uganda from Kenya.
In a rant on her Instagram page, she expressed her disappointment with the Kenyan national carrier and demanded they take action to return her personal belongings.
The airline is yet to issue an official statement addressing the latest in the growing list of allegations that are fast denting the image of the struggling national carrier which has been making attempts to recover and restructure from years of mismanagement and making billions of shillings in losses.
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