Aviation industry jittery about KDF plans to repair civilian aircraft

President Uhuru Kenyatta during the launch of the National Air Support Department at Wilson Airport, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Questions are being raised over the intention of the National Air Support Department (NASD) to acquire a permit to repair civilian aircraft.

The agency was launched on December 21, 2020 by President Uhuru Kenyatta to coordinate and provide centralised management of all state-owned aircraft to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness in service delivery to the public.

Some aviation industry players opposed to NASD’s acquisition of Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) certificate, argue the agency failed on this mandate, and therefore, should not be given the responsibility of managing civilian aircraft.

They cite the frequency of military choppers accidents as one of the reasons why NASD cannot be trusted with such a delicate task. Normally, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) issues AMO certificate subject to applicants meeting set requirements.

The certificate allows the approved organisation to perform specific aircraft maintenance activities like modifications on an aircraft or general maintenance of engine and propeller among other components.

An applicant is issued an AMO certificate if after inspection, the KCAA finds that the applicant meets the requirements for the holder of an AMO specified under The Civilian (Approved Maintenance Organisation) Regulations, 2018.

The applicant must be properly and adequately equipped for the performance and maintenance of aircraft or aircraft components for which the organisation seeks approval.

However, players in the industry insist NASD lacks capacity in terms of resources and personnel to carry out such tasks touching on safety. They argue that the agency has no engineers and financial muscle to repair civilian aircraft.

The status of NASD is another bone of contention with players claiming they do not understand the exact mandate of the agency, although NASD is a multi-agency unit created and run by the military.

It was formed to manage planes owned by Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Pipeline Company, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company and Kenya Forest Service.  

Industry players feel since its creation, NASD has not lived to expectations and most of the entities put under its control.

The issue of whether the agency was procedurally formed has also surfaced with the concerned industry players pointing out that it features nowhere on the list of civilian organisations ran by Department of Defence (DoD) such as Kenya Meat Commission, Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation, Kenya Shipyards Limited and the Kenya Space and National Defence University.  

“From my understanding, the certification process is almost at the tail end when it’s clear NASD lacks capacity hence the application shouldn’t have proceeded because the agency does not possess some of the requisite requirements to qualify for certification,” said an insider.

According to the source, KCAA is doing an illegality by rushing to approve a body that was “unprocedurally” constituted. The source says NASD has neither a company certificate of incorporation, contract of employees nor any legal document to support its establishment.

“We’re talking about safety here; you’re licensing an amorphous organisation to repair and maintain civilian planes. NASD doesn’t have the calibre of engineers satisfying AMO standards,” the source added.

But KCAA Director General Emile Arao said they had not received any complaints from stakeholders over the NASD certification process insisting the authority is undertaking the certification using the duly published guidance established by the authority.

“The certification of NASD is still undergoing processing and when the authority will be satisfied that NASD has met all the requirements among them personnel, specifically engineers, and other necessary resources to undertake the aircraft maintenance, then the AMO certificate will then be issued. The authority has not issued the AMO certificate to NASD,” explained Arao.

According to Arao, NASD applied to be certificated, and the process is divided into five phases. The certification process he added, is at phase four with the verification of its formation underway.

On the legality of NASD, Arao responded: “NASD is a newly formed government agency run by the military. The information you are providing is not correct.”

The certification process involves five phases that comprises of pre-application, formal application, document evaluation, demonstration and inspection, and finally certification.

By the time of going to press, the military was yet to respond to our clarification request on the issues raised.

On November 25, 2024, Chief of Strategic Communications Unit Brigadier Paul Njuguna asked The Standard to write a formal letter, which was duly done. When reminded on Tuesday, a military officer said the response was still being processed by senior officers.

The crashing of an aircraft on April 18, 2024 carrying Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla exposed the military’s Achilles heel. This was not an isolated incident. The country had in the past witnessed similar incidents.

On November 20, 2023, tragedy struck when KAF 1101, a Mi 171e helicopter delivered in 2011, crashed in Buna, Garissa during patrols for Operation Amani Boni.

Another incident occurred on November 9, 2023, involving an AS 550 C3 Fennec delivered in 2018, designated for attack purposes, crashing in Ol Tepesi, Kajiado.

Another accident involved a refurbished Bell UH-1M Huey 2 delivered in 2017, that crashed in Lamu county, and an AS 550 C3 Fennec delivered in 2018, which crashed in Chemolingot, West Pokot, on July 20, 2023, while accompanying then Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.

“Despite the poor safety records, the Air Force has not released any accident investigation report for the three crashes that have occurred this year or any of the others in the past,” senior military officer told The Standard in a previous interview.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, the Kenya Air Force has lost 12 aircraft since 2012 with officials knowledgeable about military operations attributing the incidents to inability to service them. 

“Issuance of this certificate will jeopardise flight safety since KCAA will have limited access to oversight the military. All personnel in NASD are uniformed and in active duty hence will be difficult to manage them,” noted a source.

One of the first assignments NASD undertook was to reconfigure a factory made surveillance helicopter to VIP despite the billions spent to purchase the chopper together with ground equipment based in Nairobi and Mombasa.

When he announced its establishment, Uhuru said the agency would provide a centralised management of national aviation assets for optimal utilisation, management and serviceability of air assets to enhance safety, swift response and quality of aviation services in line with the various stakeholders’ core mandates.