Have you ever imagined the amount the Kenya Airways chief executive earns in a month? Well, the KQ CEO Sebastian Mikosz has come out to clearly state the amount of money he earns from the embattled airline in a month.
In a statement sent to newsrooms, Mr Mikosz said his monthly salary was Sh2.7 million, which was subject to 29 per cent income tax that he pays to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
He also denied that the national carrier is headed by a coterie of 21 expatriates who take home a combined Sh70 million per month.
“The authors of this letter did not check the basic facts so as to mislead the public. I would like to assure you that I am not taking the efforts at misinformation and defamation lightly and I’ve already taken legal action against individuals and groups spreading the defamatory statements. Let the courts objectively assess the facts and pass judgment,” he said.
The claims that were widely circulated by blogs quoted a statement from the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) secretary general Moss Ndiema.
This came as KAWU members downed their tools on Wednesday, paralysing business at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) while protesting against the planned takeover of the airport by Kenya Airways.
Mr Ndiema is in police custody after he was arrested during the Wednesday protests.
Said Mr Mikosz in the statement: “As of today, KQ employs 18 expatriates, including all secondments, out of the total number of more than 3,000 employees. This is approximately 0.6 per cent of the entire KQ staff.”
He added that of the 18 foreign employees, five are KLM managers seconded to Kenya Airways.
Two of them are occupying senior positions of chief operating officer and head of global sales.
“Although they work for KQ, they remain KLM employees. Their salaries and any other benefits are covered by KLM. This means that no one in KQ has access to that information. The amounts in the public domain are, therefore, purely fictitious and aimed at creating negative emotions in the working environment,” he said.
He said of the top 50 managers, seven are foreigners, representing just 14 per cent of the leadership team.