Kenya Airways Apologises for Mistreatment of Nigerian Passenger

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced on Tuesday that Kenya Airways has issued an apology for the mistreatment of Nigerian passenger Gloria Omisore in Nairobi, Kenya.

Omisore, who was traveling on a connecting flight, was prevented from boarding the second leg of her journey after being unable to provide a Schengen visa. She was subsequently accused of throwing used sanitary pads at an airline employee. The altercation, which was filmed and shared on social media, sparked significant public outcry.

Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, provided updates about the incident through his X account. He revealed that the airline’s representatives, including the Country Manager, James Nganga, Station Manager, Eric Mukira, and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu, attended a meeting at the NCAA office in Abuja to address the matter.

Achimugu explained that Omisore had contacted Kenya Airways on December 7, 2025, to confirm whether she was eligible to travel on the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos route. Despite informing the airline that she was a Nigerian with a British residence permit and no Schengen visa, the airline assured her that she could travel. Based on this advice, Omisore purchased her ticket and successfully flew the first leg of her journey without issues.

However, when Omisore reached Nairobi for her outbound flight, it was discovered that she required a transit visa for the Paris leg, a mistake that was the airline’s responsibility. Upon this realization, Kenya Airways offered to rebook her on a direct flight to London, but with a 10-hour additional wait, adding to her already 17-hour layover. She requested accommodation and care, but was denied, leading to a confrontation with the airline’s counter staff.

Achimugu condemned the airline’s misleading public statement, which claimed Omisore had simply refused to accept the re-routing and had started throwing pads. The airline has since apologized for the false narrative and admitted that it was their fault for not detecting the issue before she boarded the flight from Lagos.

The NCAA director expressed disappointment at the behavior of Kenya Airways staff, who allegedly insulted the Nigerian presidency, implying that nothing would be done to address the situation. The airline’s Country Manager acknowledged the inappropriate behavior and apologized, stating that disciplinary action would be determined by the airline’s headquarters in Nairobi.

Kenya Airways has now committed to reviewing their call logs within 48 hours to confirm the details of the conversation with Omisore and to ensure such incidents do not happen again.