Former Kenya Airways manager Dan Okwiri has said the airline once operated under a disciplined system rooted in experience and mentorship, unlike how it functions today, arguing that the decline of Kenya Airways is closely tied to poor leadership choices across the aviation sector.
Speaking during an interview with Radio Generation on Tuesday, Okwiri recalled a time when new engineers at the national carrier were placed under seasoned professionals to learn the basics of the industry before taking on bigger roles.
He said the system was strict, structured, and designed to build competence from the ground up.
“KQ used to work in a very different way from how it works now. We had an apprehensive system. You come your engineer, put that in the bin,” he said.
According to Okwiri, young staff were attached to experienced workers, sometimes in junior roles, to observe operations, attend meetings, and understand how decisions were made. He explained that this approach was borrowed from the military, where aviation has its roots.
“I’ve been sitting with people who have worked for 20 years. Listen to what’s going on, right? Taking notes the way the military works, because aviation started from the military,” he said.
He added that aviation systems follow military traditions, including ranks, command structures, and operational discipline, noting that many innovations in the sector originated from the military.
Okwiri said that despite the current challenges, Kenya Airways can still be turned around, insisting that the main issue lies in who is making decisions within the aviation industry.
“It’s not so 100%. I always tell people that Kenya Airways (KQ) can be fixed. The problem with Kenya today is that people running aviation are not aviators,” he said.
He questioned the composition of leadership at key aviation institutions, saying boards and agencies lack professionals with real aviation experience.
“How many people on the board of KQ are aviators? If you look at Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) same problem persists,” he said.
Okwiri warned that aviation decisions involve billions of dollars and should not be left to people without industry knowledge.
“You cannot get a baker to make decisions worth billions of dollars,” he said.
He explained that the aviation sector is tightly linked, with Kenya Airways playing a central role in sustaining other institutions. According to him, the airline has historically been a major revenue generator for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
“KQ is the anchor carrier for JKIA. It gives it used to, it used to give it if it’s giving any money anymore, because KQ doesn’t have any money, but it used to generate at least 60 to 70% of the revenue of KCAA, a tenant of the airport,” he said.
He added that aviation authorities depend heavily on Kenya Airways for income through airport charges and navigation fees, meaning problems at the airline quickly affect the entire system.
“So if KQ is down, KAA is down, for sure, and KCAA is down because it earns its money from navigation fees,” he said.
Okwiri argued that focusing on infrastructure alone, without fixing Kenya Airways, will not solve the sector’s problems.
“So it’s sort of just a matter of building a new airport, building an airport without fixing KQ is a total waste of time,” he said.
