A side-by-side image of lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi and one of KQ’s aircraft. Kenya Airways chairman Michael Joseph, on Wednesday, March 24, responded to Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi’s bid to buy one of KQ’s aircraft which goes for Ksh21.49 billion.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange, Joseph affirmed that he welcomed the move from the lawyer popularly known by his nickname – the Grand Mullah.
"When Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi alias the Grand Mullah, says he wants to purchase your aircraft because the airline is going down, what do you tell him?" Jeff asked. Kenya Airways chairman Michael Joseph during a media briefing on July 1, 2019. "If he wants to come and buy, be my guest, he wouldn’t be able to drive it to Arusha, Tanzania," Joseph stated.
The Grand Mullah, a respected figure in the legal industry, is known for his expensive and luxurious lifestyle.
His assets include a Ksh40 million Bentley Bentayga, Ksh4.8 million Porsche, Ksh6.9 million Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Discovery estimated at Ksh3.8 million.
The Senior Counsel had made a joke about his desire to purchase one of Kenya Airways aircraft after the airline recorded a loss of Ksh36.6 billion in its latest report in the financial year ending December 2020.
"KQ made a loss of Ksh36 billion. Can I purchase one of their Embraer 190. I’m sure it’s cheaper than a Bentley Bentayga," the lawyer said, tongue in cheek.
The loss was the worst in the airline’s history- signifying the immense challenges facing the airline that recorded a Ksh12.9 billion loss in 2019.
Addressing the issue, Joseph attributed the losses to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the airline shut down its scheduled network operations from April to July last year following a directive from the government.
The KQ chairman affirmed that it might take 3-4 years for Kenya Airways to make profits in their financial projections.
"If you look at the impact Covid-19 pandemic had on us, it might take 3 years for us to be back on our feet," Joseph stated.In a bid to save the struggling airline from collapsing, the Treasury recently injected Ksh8 billion while the Transport ministry gave out Ksh2 billion.
