Naikuni fights blame over KQ poor performance

Titus Naikuni

NAIROBI, KENYA: Former Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni fights blame over woes facing the national carrier.

He says he was never involved in any under deals and would welcome investigations to clear his name. “The carrier is suffering the effects of low passenger volume due to terrorism threats and Ebola outbreak that forced it out of its lucrative West Africa market,” he says.

The results, for the financial year ending March 2015, show the company posted a Sh25.7 billion after-tax loss. This is the biggest loss to be posted by a Kenyan company.

The airline has received a beating from the slowdown in tourism industry that has seen it extend its pre-tax losses from the Sh4.8 billion loss it made in the previous year.

"There has been a reduction in tourism numbers. We are a significant carrier of tourists into the country," KQ Managing Director Mbuve Ngunze said at an investor briefing in Nairobi.