Nairobi — Kenya has committed Sh28.7 million to support the aviation security and facilitation program by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar said Monday the voluntary contribution will support the implementation of enhanced aviation security measures in Africa.
Daghar said the funding will also enable ICAO to support the implementation of enhanced aviation security measures in Africa.
"My Ministry (Transport) through the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has been directed to ensure this is achieved starting the next financial year,2024," Daghar said when he presided over the opening of the 8th Africa and Indian Ocean Aviation Week in Nairobi.
In fulfillment of its obligations as an ICAO member state, the Transport PS said that Kenya continues to pursue the shared goal of ensuring safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable global air transport system.
To realize this, Daghar stated that Kenya, through a robust and an enabling national legislation framework continuously adopts and implements ICAO standards and recommended practices with the view of ensuring a safe and secure aviation oversight system.
He pointed out that Kenya recognises air transport as the key enabler to the revival of the global economies.
"Through National Air Transport facilitation committee and in collaboration with Border Control Management unit, Kenya is working to safely restore international connectivity and towards contactless travel as per the ICAO requirements," he added.
The Transport PS further revealed that Kenya now has in place the prerequisite infrastructure and capabilities to fully participate in ICAO public-key directory- the Advanced Passenger Information (API) and the Passenger Name Record (PNR).
The move he argued, will see Kenya join the global community in making the passenger journeys seamless.
Daghar lauded the 41st ICAO assembly for adopting a long-term global aspiration goal for international aviation of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement temperature goal.
He noted that Kenya is currently implementing the ICAO council approved sustainability criteria, for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) together with the associated compliance assessment guidance.
"We have taken a keen interest in environmental matters and we will continue collaborating and working together with ICAO towards achievement of 2050 through capacity building, the provision of an enabling environment in development and deployment of SAF," he added.
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The Transport PS further said that Kenya also continues to collaborate with ICAO in many spheres, specifically through secondment of technical experts to the secretariat, technical panels, provision of short-term experts training, voluntary contributions and payment of its share to the ICAO budget.
To co-ordinate the collaboration in Kenya's contribution to the work of ICAO, Daghar said that Kenya has established permanent representation at the ICAO headquarters adding that the government is exploring modalities of actualizing its objective of providing a state-of-the-art facility of the ICAO Eastern and Southern Africa regional office.
"At the regional level, Kenya continues to promote the concept of sharing of resources and has recently constructed one of its kind regional center for aviation medicine for use by the civil aviation safety and security oversight agency- our regional safety oversight organisation," he said.
PS Daghar assured ICAO of Kenya's support on implementation of its strategic objectives expressing Kenya's commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities as an ICAO contracting state.
Present in the event was ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano, ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos SalazaR, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Brown Ondego and Director-General Emile Arao.
