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A Kenyan Airways (KQ) employee who was previously held in custody by the Democratic Republic of Congo Military Intelligence Unit has been released following successful negotiations, Korir Sing’oei, the Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs confirmed.
Lydia Mbotela, a manager for KQ stationed in the DRC, regained her freedom after being detained for two weeks, thanks to negotiations facilitated by Kenya’s Military Attaché and Charge d’affaires.
On a social media platform, PS Sing’oei expressed gratitude for Mbotela’s release and praised the efforts of the Kenyan mission’s team, including the Military Attaché, the Foreign Relations Officer (FRO), and the Charge d’affaires, for their role in securing her freedom.
Earlier in April, KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka had acknowledged the detention of the employees in a public statement, attributing their arrest to alleged discrepancies in customs documentation for valuable cargo.
However, Kilavuka criticized the Kinshasa authorities, asserting that the employees were being unlawfully held against a court order and clarifying that KQ had not accepted or uplifted the cargo in question.
In response to the situation, KQ made the decision to suspend its flights to Kinshasa, citing the inability to operate effectively without its staff in the region.
