Chris Kirubi now wants Kenya Airways closed down
The billionaire says African countries like Kenya are 'too poor' to sustain a national carrier.
Dr. Kirubi has proposed African countries like Kenya should do away with National carriers and instead focus on coming up with a national airline.
“There are very few African countries that have managed to have and operate a national carrier. Our countries are too small; the volumes of travels are too little, which cannot sustain the business,” Dr. Chris Kirubi.
Dr. Kirubi is one of the top individual shareholders of the troubled Kenya Airways. Last year for example he bought KQ shares worth Sh2.1million.
Over the years he has been especially vocal in demanding changes in national carrier.
Early this week the billionaire joined calls for the KQ board to be disbanded saying its recent decisions “like the selling of assets at throw-away prices” has reduced its operating capacity.
Kirubi made headlines when KQ recorded a historic 25 billion loss in 2015, after he lectured the board in rather unsavory manner.
“This is bullshit… you cannot run a business this size on loans after loan,” an incensed Kirubi was quoted saying.
The only remaining viable African airlines so far are Ethiopia Airlines, South Africa airlines and Kenya airways.
South African Airways has never fully emerged from its turbulence and has been registering loses year in year out. The airline is expecting to double its loss for the 2016/17 financial year from a previously budgeted R1.7 billion to R3.5 billion.
The Ethiopian airline on the other hand despite being in the clear for now fully relies on government control and some critics have argued it should not be considered even as a commercial airline.
Other African countries followed Dr. Kirubi advice and pulled the plug a long time ago, Uganda airlines ceased operations in May 2001.
Kenya Airways path to recovery has also been complicated more after the Kenyan government recently granted Qatar airlines permission to fly directly to Mombasa, something KQ does not currently offer.
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