UNILAG professor threatens to sue Kenya Airways over inhumane treatment

A professor from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has threatened to sue Kenya Airways for what he described ‘inhumane treatment’ meted on him by the airline.

The professor, who would not want his name mentioned, said he was a passenger on the airline for the following itineraries:Lagos-Nairobi, Nairobi-Joannesburg, Joannesburg- Nairobi and Nairobi- Lagos spanning 14th – 20th September, 2024.

The last leg of the trip, Nairobi-Lagos via Flight 8KQ534 was scheduled for Friday 20th September, 2024 with the Departure details thereof indicated on the Ticket as 18:30 from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi at Terminal 1A.

He said the boarding pass stated that the monitors be checked for the flight’s Boarding Gate.

“I arrived the Departure Hall of the airport on the scheduled date about three hours ahead of the 18:30 Departure Time so as to complete the Airport formalities, but observed that although Flight Boarding Gates were displayed for other flights on the Airport’s Electronic Bill Board/ Monitor, but none was displayed for Flight KQ534.

“Having regard to the fact that there was no notice of cancellation or postponement of the flight and non-availability of any of your staff in situ at the material time, I was obliged to wait patiently till the above stipulated departure time for the display of the flight’s departure gate. But it was never displayed.

“At 6.32, a notice came up indicating that Flight KQ534 had actually departed at 6:32.

“All efforts to get your Airline to respond to his plight via his complaint email, were to no avail as none of your staff had any reasonable explanation to offer for the unusual situation other than apologies. One of your staff claimed that the non- display of the departure gate was caused by power outage at the material time, but the excuse was self-rebutted by the fact that the Monitor was functioning all through the period,” the professor explained.

Read also: Sanitary pads saga: Kenya Airways apologises for ill-treatment of Nigerian passenger – NCAA

According to the professor, from the above run of events and the testimonies/experience of two other passengers of the same flight KQ534 who were equally stranded along with our Client, the above situation was self-induced by Kenya Airways, apparently having overbooked the flight with passengers in excess of available seats.

He said it was thus obvious that the non-display of the Flight’s Departure Gate on the Monitor was a clever ploy to cover up the airline’s responsibility, shift liability and worse of all- to profit from your own wrong.

“In the result, I was left in the lurch, stranded and with no one to attend to my plight in a foreign land. I was constrained by his peculiar health status and requisite strict medication regime, to purchase medicants, food, drinks and other victuals at the airport to forestall the worsening of my deteriorating health which was caused the airline’s negligent handling of the flight with the attendant stress and trauma thereof”, he added.

The professor further stated that despite the palpable liability of Kenya Airways in the circumstance, the airline still insisted he must pay $671USD to board another flight from Nairobi to Lagos the following day, which he was compelled to do.

He lamented that from the original scheduled Departure date of 20/9/2024 and the actual departure, the following day, he was not given any accommodation, refreshment etc.

In a letter drafted by the professor’s lawyers, entitled, ‘Breach Of Contract by Kenya Airways’ seen by BusinessDay, indicated that Kenya Airways’ liability in the circumstances was complete, wherefore they, the lawyers have the instruction of their client to and hereby demand as follows:

“$208.107USD being proportionate fare for the Nairobi –Lagos segment of the initial flight $100USD; expenses on medication, meals and basic victuals
$671USD; cost of the alternative flight, and N500,000; Solicitors’ fee at this stage of the matter.

The lawyers stated that failure of the airline to deliver the cheque for the above sums to our office within 14 days hereof, they shall not hesitate to institute an action against your it for huge damages including the cost of the litigation thereof.