The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has clarified the procedures passengers are expected to follow when recovering belongings left inside aircraft or at airport facilities, following the circulation of a viral video involving a traveller attempting to retrieve a mobile phone reportedly left onboard an aircraft at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, KAA said passengers seeking to collect items recovered from aircraft would be required to verify their identity before the property is handed over.
The authority explained that passengers may also be required to complete relevant documentation as part of security and accountability measures aimed at ensuring recovered belongings are returned to their rightful owners.
"For security and accountability, passengers collecting items left onboard aircraft may be required to provide identification and complete the relevant documentation before an item can be released. These procedures are intended to ensure that recovered property is handed over to its rightful owner," KAA stated.
The clarification followed the spread of a video on social media showing a passenger trying to recover a mobile phone after arriving at JKIA.
The footage showed an airport-related worker engaging in a confrontation with a customer who was reportedly seeking to retrieve a phone she had left on an aircraft.
The officer is heard telling the woman that she needed to produce an original identification document and sign before the phone could be released. The passenger, meanwhile, questioned why she could not simply hand over her phone without going through the process.
KAA subsequently clarified that passengers recovering belongings left onboard aircraft could be asked to provide identification documents, including national identification cards, as well as complete other relevant verification requirements.
The authority urged travellers who misplace or leave their belongings onboard aircraft or within airport premises to contact airline or airport customer service teams for assistance and comply with the required verification procedures.
"We encourage passengers to cooperate with the applicable verification procedures and to seek assistance from airline or airport customer service teams whenever clarification is required," it added.
KAA also clarified that its employees were not involved in the interaction depicted in the viral video.
"We wish to clarify that the interaction captured in the video involved airline personnel and not KAA staff. However, KAA recognises that passengers experience the airport as one journey and, together with our aviation partners, we remain committed to ensuring that such interactions are handled professionally and with due consideration to the customer experience," KAA added.
The authority said it had since contacted the airline involved in the incident and was working with other aviation stakeholders to improve public awareness of the procedures governing the recovery of misplaced belongings.
"KAA has engaged the airline concerned and, together with relevant aviation stakeholders, is strengthening passenger awareness on the procedures to follow when belongings are left onboard an aircraft or within the airport," the authority said.
