KQ tops agenda for new Transport PS

Kenya Airways needs structural changes to redeem itself from financial turbulence that has seen it make huge losses, Principal Secretary nominee for Transport, Wilson Nyakera Irungu, told a parliamentary vetting committee Friday.

The 32-year-old financial engineer told Transport, Public Works and Housing Committee during his vetting that the national carrier, which is technically insolvent, would require more than financial support to survive the trouble in the skies.

“Getting KQ back is not about funding but addressing its structural inefficiency,” said Mr Irungu. He also told the committee chaired by Maina Kamanda that the country should not just focus on direct profits from such State corporations but also consider their indirect contributions to the economy.

After he was questioned why he wanted a PS job that pays less than Sh1 million at the expense of his current salary of nearly Sh2 million at Equity Bank, he stated that his main intention was to serve the public and not to make money.

The committee summoned the EACC to clarify conflicting letters it had sent on Maritime PS nominee Nancy Karigithu.