The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has ranked Kenya the second best in the continent in terms of airport security, the country’s civil aviation authority announced on Saturday.
According to newsaf.cgtn.com, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital Nairobi that the country attained the highest regional sustainability indicator in aviation security following an audit in May by ICAO, a United Nations specialized aviation body with 93 members.
ICAO handed Kenya a score of 91.7 percent, up from 88 percent in 2015 on the implementation of critical elements of an aviation system, the highest ever recorded in East and Central Africa. The score put Kenya second after South Africa.
The agency inspected Kenya’s two main airports, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, and Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
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“This is a historic feat for Kenya as she has managed to accomplish the target set by ICAO in the current Global Aviation Security Plan that desired all of the states to attain an effective implementation of above 90 percent by 2030,” said KCAA.
The objective of a security audit is to assure the safety of passengers, crew, ground personnel, and the public at airports.
According to kenyans.co.ke, Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia, expressed that the historic ranking was a testament to the security measures that had been put in place by the government and KCAA.
Further, Macharia indicated that the ranking puts Kenya second in Africa in terms of airport security.
“In 2015. There were 32 findings from 300 protocol questions, with observations made at JKIA alone. Comparatively, in the May 2022 audit, the scope increased to 493 protocol questions and included visits to both JKIA and Moi International Airport, Mombasa. The number of findings has dropped to only 15 findings in 2022.
“With the current audit results released by ICAO, Kenya is now ranked second in Africa and has already attained and even surpassed the target set by ICAO of achieving a Sustainability Indicator Score of 90% by the year 2030,” he stated.
The Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP) was developed by the ICAO and is aimed at helping counties all over the world improve the security of their airports through various guidelines.
Among the issues that GASeP seeks to address include airport cyber security and acts of terrorism.
“The goals of the GASeP include improving technical assistance and strengthened regional coordination, and the development of the Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP) strategy,” ICAO stated.
