Kisumu bans workers from Safarilink on ‘excessive fares’

A Safarilink aircraft. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kisumu County staff have now been banned from utilizing Safarilink Aviation Restricted whereas travelling on official duties over “exploitative” fees.

County Secretary John Auma mentioned the directive is a part of a brand new austerity measure to handle expenditures and keep away from wastage of sources.

“It has been determined that the County Authorities of Kisumu workers travelling on official responsibility by air ought to stop to make use of Safarilink airline because of their exploitative fees,” he mentioned in a memo to departmental heads.

The directive, which takes impact instantly comes days after governor Anyang’ Nyong’o protested for being charged Sh19,000 for a one-way flight from Nairobi to Kisumu as an alternative of Sh5,500 and Sh7,000.

“Why is Safarilink engaged on this rip-off of its passengers in a bid to gather obscene earnings from the gullible public? Do we’ve got a shopper safety organisation to behave in opposition to this sort of rip-off?” he posed.

Safarilink administration, nevertheless, termed the remarks by the county chief as “unlucky” and blamed Prof Nyong’o for failing to recognise the concessions the corporate has had for him.

“We admire your and the Kisumu County authorities’s loyalty to Safarilink through the years. We, in flip, have supported Kisumu County in numerous methods with sponsorships in direction of numerous tasks and also you personally when we’ve got held again flights whenever you have been operating late,” they mentioned.

Safarilink reiterated that they’ve an obligation to their shareholders who anticipate some returns after having to navigate by way of a tough three years throughout Covid with no concessions or assist from the federal government.

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