Long-serving KQ staffer Alice Waweru receives water cannon salute at her farewell

Kenya Airways honoured one of their employees, Alice Waweru, with a water cannon salute on her final day at work, marking the end of her 38 years of service.

KQ tweeted that Alice concluded her journey with the company after 38 years and that her ultimate destination was John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.

"To honour her for the exemplary service, we mounted a ceremonial water cannon salute which took her by surprise.

Alice Waweru alights from a KQ plane on her last day of working after serving the company for 38 years. Pulse Live Kenya

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"Alice, who was joined by her family and friends, holds the distinction of having been the Flight Purser on our historic inaugural flight to New York," KQ tweeted.

As she touched down at the JKIA and was warmly welcomed by her family and friends, Alice shared her thoughts, expressing her joy in serving as a dedicated attendant at the airline.

"In this moment, words fail me. My voyage with KQ has been a path of personal growth, and now I eagerly anticipate this fresh chapter and the voyage into uncharted territories," she remarked.

KQ subsequently shared several photos capturing moments from Alice's final day at work, including her arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Alice Waweru shakes hands with a KQ staffer on her last day of working after serving the company for 38 years. Pulse Live Kenya

Alice received various gifts and also posed for photos with colleagues she would be bidding farewell to.

A cake-cutting ceremony was held to commemorate the occasion, celebrating the retirement of their long-serving employee after 38 years.

KQ then tweeted an image of Alice, extending their best wishes for her retirement years ahead.

Who gets to be treated with water cannons at airports?

Water salutes, characterised by their poignant beauty, have embraced a spectrum of poignant occasions.

Water cannon salute Pulse Live Kenya

They stand as a tribute to retiring senior pilots and air traffic controllers, a joyful welcome to an airline's inaugural or final flight at an airport.

Water cannon also serves as a symbolic salute to the introduction or retirement of specific aircraft types, a solemn homage to fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and a testament to other notable moments that deserve a grand commemoration.

This ceremonial act involves positioning two fire trucks equidistant from the aircraft, creating a graceful arc of water streams that beautifully arch over the plane.