- Speaking after chairing the first meeting of various heads of agencies at JKIA, the CS also announced that an airport charter will soon be signed.
- He said that the current charter that was drafted 10 years ago has not been in operation, hence the current blame game in service delivery.
Image: FILE
The state has moved in to address complaints at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Tuesday that passengers visiting JKIA will soon not be required to alight from their cars at the primary screening yard as the Kenya Airports Authority tries to improve customer experience.
Murkomen said they will be deploying technology to improve screening to reduce delays.
"We want to reduce the time spent by a customer or a passenger at the airport from the time they enter and board a plane to the time they land and exit," the CS said, adding there have been several complaints from passengers.
"We want passengers to be screened in motion, save for vehicles suspected to have suspicious materials, because what is happening here does not happen in other parts of the world. We will procure the latest equipment."
Murkomen said that technology will be used to facilitate self-checking by passengers to speed up movement.
Speaking after chairing the first meeting of various heads of agencies at JKIA, the CS also announced that an airport charter will soon be signed.
He said that the current charter that was drafted 10 years ago has not been in operation, hence the current blame game in service delivery.
The CS said the charter being developed will ensure that agencies are working as one.
The managing director will chair the development of the charter.
The charter, Murkomen said, will provide ways for coordination and the provision of services, with a measured target for every department operating at the airport.
He said that, for a long time, there has been passing of blame among agencies.
Among those that attended the meeting are heads of immigration, airport police, customs, KEPHIS and port health.
An Advance Passenger Information System to provide prior information about passengers for greater efficiency will also be installed at the airport.
In a bid to reduce overcrowding at airports and restrict unauthorised persons, the CS directed the management of the airport to withdraw all cards being held by anyone cleared to access specific areas at the facility.
He said police will no longer be allowed to provide any VIP services at the airport, as this will only be the preserve of licensed individuals.
"The police will concentrate on their responsibility of providing security. We have been told that as a result of this vacuum, some, even those on leave, come back to the airport because of personal gains in carrying out this responsibility."
The police unit service at airports across the country, he said, will undergo specific training for the purposes of the airport.This, as he said, was a plan to create a stand-alone port of entry and exit police unit.
Other services that are set to be provided at JKIA in the new plan include free Wi-Fi, more phone charging ports and breastfeeding booths.The booths are set to be revamped and made more comfortable for lactating mothers.