Crazy Kenya ' Regulations '
 

I am amazed that there is no thread about the ridiculous new 'Regulations ' that KCAA have rammed through in Kenya in the last few days .
I was very , ( VERY ) , lucky to have been a charter pilot at Wilson in the wonderful days of the late 60s / early 70s , we had nearly 400 light aircraft in those days keeping the country together when the roads were actually better than they are now , believe it or not .
No-one made a fortune but we had a comfortable existence in one of the few great countries to live in back then . There was ZERO tax on anything to do with aviation , because the Government of President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta could see the benefits of having a healthy aviation sector that not only produced the incomparable Flying Doctors , but also the Police Airwing and the fledgling Missionary outfits ( MAF etc ) , but was also driving the booming tourism sector which has been the backbone of the Kenyan economy ever since. Moi changed all that for some reason .( He actually used aircraft whereas Mzee never did .Another reason why the main roads were improved so much during Mzees rule . As soon as he passed on , the Roads budget was diverted into other pockets which explains the recent probs !! )
It is absolutely gut-wrenching that the Kenyan establishment is persecuting light aviation to the extent that the problems that they themselves have created for the Tourism industry with their power / wealth / election / struggles ( same thing in Africa ) including over 100,000 redundancies in the tourist sector at one point , are being exacerbated by their intransigence.
It has been well documented / reported recently about the fact that Kenyan MPs are paid the bulk of the countries GDP , that they have repeatedly voted themselves huge salary increases , that they will kill for a vote or two , so why should they give a fig about what is good for their country ? While the world is fretting about Mugabe and Zim ( now there is a patriot that really loves his country so much ) , thay have lost sight of the fact that Kenya is going down the plughole too.

'I must steal it first before someone else does' - Paul Theroux ?

Why oh why do African politicians not love their countries / countrymen ?
( Apologies to Mwalimu and Madiba who are the exception )

Cry The Beloved Country etc ( a great read )

Just heard that my old school Duke Of York ( Lenana ) has closed down - very sad , but not surprising anymore either.

Still uplifting to read pprune threads about GA in Botswana , now there is a place that deserves a pat on the back.

God Bless Africa .

????
 

:eek::ugh::mad::D:{ Hic! more beer please.

Kota
 

In your time at Wilson, do you remember a chap called Ken Rawles, if I remember he was a CFI at Wilkin Air. Ken also was a Nav for us @ AFSAF on the Brit.

Most african countries suffer the same problems corruption. In kenya all politicians are corrupt to some extent. Each time i go back it gets worse corruption and lack of security.

Follow the KCARS of leave the country,in the 60's ana 70's u are talking about are during the white era at wilson airport,it's the days they use to look pple down,take a look now and see young generation coming up.take a hike man and leave us alone

Galant-Your English is disgusting. You are barely literate and you fly aeroplanes?

Africa is the mess it is because people like you keep making excuses about why it's ok to be substandard. Kenya's safety record leaves a lot to be desired, why not look and learn instead of telling people to "take a hike".

GALANT -
1) You're obviously very young, (you clearly haven't seen where your country was - compared to where it is now!) Therefore you lack experience in life and consequently an accurate understanding of how your country ended up in the predicament it now finds itself.
2) Not very well travelled, (because if you were, you'd understand the dilemma your country and Africa is in.) (Why is it that you guys REFUSE to learn from history?)
But like the rest of your tribe, it's always easier to blame the whites, colonialists, West or whoever - rather than face the REAL reason most of your people are destitute.
3) Not very educated, (you have demonstrated to everyone that you cannot even string an intelligable sentence together!)
You tell everyone (whites) to "take a hike and leave us alone." With pleasure! But who's going to fill your country's and Africa's begging bowl? The Russians? The Chinese? Your continent will be recolonised before you know it! But this time you wont find the colonialists quite so benevolent!
I can only hope that you DO NOT fly aircraft for a living. If you do - it explains why much of African airspace is black-listed as a safety hazard in the civilised world.

The guy has a point. So no need to come down so hard on him.
And your assertion that english is a measure of intelligence is so retarted and retrogressive.
And if you really believe that africa is irredeemable then there is no point of crying over a stone because it aint giving you water. TAKE A WALK. the world is so large. And stop whining.
And for your info, swahili is one of the official language of africa, and the east africa community. Shall I be justified to call anyone I meet in our beloved east africa and who doesn't speak swahili intellectually challenged?
Go figure.
And Africa is not begging to anyone. Despite the fact that europe plundered africa and butchered its people largely to get where it is.
I bet Congoman is busy looting in congo and funding militias and reliving the days of colonialsm so that some years from now he can insult us when we go begging in his door step.

MKenya - No one said that an inability to speak English equated to not being intelligent. The fact is that English is a Universal Language and the difference is that those of us who can't eloquently speak swahili, don't attempt to do so as we are aware of what idiots we'll look like.

Just an aside...Ethiopia was never colonised, so based on your theory that it was never "plundered and butchered" by the mean-ass europeans, it should be a thriving, econonically sound country - so much for not begging to anyone.

"Retarted"? Well that about covers that.

Its always someone else's fault-"the colonialists did it to us". Or wait, was it slavery, no it was the plundering for the resources....

Its correct that Ethiopia was never colonised, look at what a raging success that it. Equally Hong Kong, USA, Australia, New Zealand etc were all colonies. Do you see them running around in squalor blaming the Europeans for their woes? Seems to be more of an African problem than a colony problem to me.

Africa is what it is because Africans keep it that way. Crooked, thieving politicians squirreling away millions and idiots like you are still blaming people that left decades ago. Wake up.

By the way, when we leave should we take the aircraft and other wondrous bits of technology with us? Didn't come from Africa after all.

Thanks Mkenya,we have to hold ths whites and indians at bay,they have lotted alot from Kenyans,aviation is no longer for the pple who use to be at wilson airport in the 60's and 70's,All Kenyan all the time!!!!!! They are talking of English,who cares,the guys who flow into Mt.Kenya were english speaking,did it help them,gauge ur IQ and stop crying,we don't need you

Yip, who needs English anyway? Now that I have been informaed that its not going to stop me from flying into a mountain, I may well learn Swahili myself.

I can see the headlines now...

"English, which used to be the world's 3rd largest language, spoken by about 365 million people as a first language, has been replaced by Swahili, which although is only the native language of 5 -10 million people apparently is far superior to English - it allegedly prevents airline crashes into Mt Kenya"

Thats quite a profound statement to make Galant

mkenya - Africa has had the begging bowl out since the the Europeans first landed on the continent! Nothing new in that. If you're denying that fact, then you clearly don't know much about your own history!
If you knew your history you would also know that your own culture killed and plundered black people long before the whites ever set foot here!
And if you want to bring up the slave trade - who do you think was selling slaves to the traders? Your own black people, that's who!
Do some research -the results will shock you!

Read a book called "Out of America" written by a black guy by the name of Keith Richburg. He was a reporter for Time Magazine during the Rwandan, Burundi civil war.
In the book he details how he witnessed Africans treating each other and how grateful he was that his ancestors had been taken out of Africa as slaves - otherwise he might have been one of the thousands of bodies he witnessed floating down the river!
He freely admits that had a white man written his book, it would have been banned as racsist! As it was he was heavily criticised for bringing the story out into the open. He was told it was "unAfrican" to criticise a fellow black!

GALANT - Just for the record: It's not about your intellectual ability. English is the international aviation language - like it or not! If you want to fly, you need to communicate INTELLIGIBLY in English. Otherwise find another job!

The reason Africans aren't treated as equals around the world is because they don't BEHAVE like equals. The world doesn't respect African leaders because their ACTIONS betray their true motives. Just look at Mugabe's behaviour towards his OWN people! And Mbeki's in defending him! And Zuma behaving like a clown singing and dancing for his machinegun! Then you have Gaddafi the tinpot dictator who doesn't even know when to get a haircut!
And I'm sure you guys in Kenya could tell a story or two about how your own politicians have been behaving just recently.
And you still wonder why African's aren't respected? Go figure!
If you DON'T want the world to see you as a clown - then DON'T BEHAVE like a clown! :8
It's time you guys took some responsibility for your actions.
You guys all hate the West/Europeans/Colonialists etc but I notice you all love BMW's, fancy clothes, watches, shoes, cell phones, TV's etc.
Where do you think they all came from? You guys need Western culture more than you think! You just don't know, that you don't know it yet. :hmm:

Shame we cannot remain on topic.
I am merely trying to point out that the last thing GA in Kenya needs right now is this new raft of regulations . For instance ,forcing charter pilots to acquire weather before departing the remotest of strips where even your mobile might struggle to function , is not the most practical of rules. This is not going to improve anything . Charter flights will always try and get through , visibility permitting .
My main point is that tourism needs a break.
Anyway , nobody seems to give a toss on this thread , and as usual the race card gets played again . Galant just confirms what I have known for years now - as a white person I am not allowed to love Kenya for some reason , despite having been lucky enough to spend my formative years there. There are plenty of black Brits in the UK and I would never question their right to love the UK , especially if born there .

fly safe

KK

Kotakota
My sincere apologies for any ill treatment you have received in Kenya. I wish to assure you that it is not part of kenyan culture to ill treat visitors. And on a positive note, if all goes well then kenya should be allowing dual citizenship soon, that should allow you as a person who has spent so many years there to possibily apply for citizenship. Meanwhile the industry is low now, and understandably the few available jobs can be handled by the locals, but should there be a skill shortage am certain the government will move fast in issuing work permits. Tell anyone considering on going on holiday to visit kenya.
Back to the issue at hand. It seems that once something happens im kenya, the authorities move too far to remedy the situation. Am certain the requirement is as a result of the accident that killed cabinet ministers two months ago.
Another illustration is the reaction to the terrorist bombing in Nairobi 10 years ago. If you have driven to Jkia of late you must have noticed how many police barricades are on the road. And the numerous checks and prohibition to stop so many kilometers on the road to the airport. The desire to please uncle sam is so great, you'd think bush and his cronies live around the place with Osama next door.

And to respond to the gentleman who said Ethiopia was never plundered, please tell me how the Obelisk got to Italy and what it has been doing all those years.
Of course africa has had its terrible history. We've had Rwanda, we have Darfur and eastern Drc still facing disaster and much more. We have had our fair share of terrible leaders. Corrupt and terrible. Who are fit only to be in Guantanamo bay.
But as we look at africa we should not be quick to localise the problem. It affects all races and continents. From the holocaust to the extermination of natives in North America and Australia and many more disasters in history it clearly demonstrates no part of human society is immune to evil.
It is common knowledge among the informed that the developed world played a big role in the present state of africa, but even a bigger role did the post colonial african leaders play.
For those inclined to reading please grab a copy of Confessions of an economic hit man by John Perkins to see what role america actively plays to kill the third world economies and to see how glorious the african history is read Africa in history by Basil davidson.
And thanks for informing me. i never realised that alot of technological advances today are NOT produced in the asian countries.

GALANT
ME is to think that you drink too much of the stuff brewed back door's.:suspect::=
Hic. more beer plez.:p:zzz:

A nice post mkenya - thank you. But just a small correction. Most technologies (although not all) were originally INVENTED in the west but MANUFACTURED in Asia. A mutually benificial collaberation that's seen places like Japan, Singapore, etc, places that were virtually TOTALLY destroyed in WWII now flourishing. And look at the progress in China and India!
Why is it not happening in Africa? Surely we have the same potential?
(Sorry about not staying strictly on topic Kotokota - just that some home truths need to be pointed out.)
And yes - the Yanks (indeed most countries) are self serving. But so are our politicians in Africa! Virtually none of them really care about their own people!
Africa shouts about Human Rights - but how many know that more African lives have been lost at their own hands than under the ENTIRE tenure of colonialism!
And STILL it continues! After 14 years of a black government rule in South Africa, more lives have been negligently lost than under the ENTIRE period of Apartheid! (AIDS!)
Sorry if I'm going on here. (And so off topic!) But like kotakota I dearly love this continent - but I can no longer make excuses for it's condition. Especially when Africa has such great potential.

Off on a flight shortly - happy landings everyone. Let's keep it safe out there!

mkenya,
Thankyou for some balance at last . Actually , I have never received any grief whilst in Kenya which is why I bemoan the sort of rubbish I attract on pprune whenever I talk about the place .
Nothing will stop me coming back again and again . Very interesting your point about dual nationality , I have started exploring this , but hold no illusions at my age that I could ever fly in Kenya again , although it would have been very pleasing indeed to finish my career where I started it !
Anyway , I have managed to end up working with Swahili speakers in the great place that is Oman.
Fly safe
KK

Nice post MKenya, it's thought-provoking.