Kipchumba Murkomen – Roads and Transoprt Minister – kenyan Government
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is the premier African travel hub and gateway into and out of East Africa. To facilitate excellent passenger and customer experience, I have today announced a raft of measures geared towards improving service delivery at JKIA. At the centre of these reforms is a Service Charter requiring all agencies operating at the airport to provide seamless service to passengers under a one-stop shop.
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The charter, to be signed at the end of the month, will bring together immigration, customs, police, port health, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and other service providers under the leadership of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA)). We shall also deploy technology to improve screening at the entrance of the airport Passenger Screening Yard (PSY) to end the current practice of passengers alighting at the main gate. The changes to be undertaken include deploying technology to facilitate faster self-check-in and enhancing airport entry and exit by ensuring the company providing parking services increases service booths and deploys faster technology.
Airlines will be required to upgrade their ticket printing to avoid long queues. We shall also deploy technology the Advance Passenger Information (APS) system to provide prior information of passengers for more efficiency and enhanced security. Passenger facilitation services shall be streamlined to avoid access to the airport by unauthorized persons. KAA will establish a passenger facilitation unit to reduce the number of persons entering the airport in the name of facilitating VIPs. To this end all access cards shall be withdrawn and screened afresh.
To ensure professionalism, all staff at the airport – customs, immigration, port health and the police – will be trained on customer service. The police unit service at the airport and other ports of entry shall be facilitated to carry out their duties professionally. We are also considering, in consultation with my Interior colleague Prof Kithure Kindiki, creating a standalone port of entry police unit complete with its own code. Hand luggage scanners will be increased to make the process faster. Any suspicious luggage shall, however, be tagged, opened and subjected to further examination. KAA will provide canopies at the airport to shield passengers from the rain and work with the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to improve drainage.
The Government will also provide bigger and comfortable seating areas, free Wi-Fi and more charging ports at the JKIA at the airport while breastfeeding booths will be revamped and made more comfortable for lactating mothers. We have also undertaken to ensure that the prices and quality of goods offered by concessionairs such restaurants are good and up to the standard. Present were Transport PS Mohamed Daghar, acting KAA MD Henry Ogoye and heads of KEPHIS, Immigration, Customs and the Police at the JKIA.
