There is a major security lapse at the Manda airport in Lamu after the facility’s baggage scanners broke down three weeks ago, forcing staff to conduct manual searches on passengers and cargo.
Baggage scanner machines rely on X-rays to see through the surface of one’s luggage to achieve detailed images of the items inside it.
Security officers can calculate how dense each object is, which gives them the information they need to spot contraband or suspicious material or cargo.
The airport is also without a baggage conveyor belt, as the one in operation is torn and unusable.
This means any suspicious people or cargo going through the airport might go unnoticed as these two gadgets play an integral part in airport security.
Passengers have complained of the manual searches, saying they take long as visitors have to be frisked one by one by the attendants and this also risks spreading Covid-19.
“The attendants have to touch you all over as they frisk and in as much as they are wearing gloves, they have to be close to you. It’s both uncomfortable and a health risk. KAA should look into this soonest,” said Mohamed Shafi who was flying to Mombasa from Lamu.
Lamu grapples with two major concerns— insecurity and drugs.
“There are no scanners and so if anyone would want to hide something like drugs or bomb-making material, I believe they would successfully smuggle it into or out of here. That is why scanners must never miss in any airport. Physical searches can only do much,” security analyst Gerishom Wanda said.
KAA Coast region manager Peter Wafula denied that the airport’s security had been compromised.
He said the cargo scanner had developed some issues while the conveyor belt had been torn.
He said the belt was taken to a local tailor for sewing and returned. "Instead of buying a new one, we sought an alternative conveyor belt from another machine which has been sent to Lamu to replace the torn one,” Wafula said.
The airport is not new to hiccups. In February this year, the airport experienced a major water shortage that almost paralysed operations.
Staff had to fetch water in jerricans to ensure operations continue. The issue was later addressed.
-Edited by SKanyara