Daniel

Q1 answer The Kenyan aviation industry has been operating under strict guidelines of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA); a government body formed to oversee and regulate all aviation related activities so as to comply with the all the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). To have a better understanding of the roles, mandates and the relationship that exists between these two bodies, it is important to first look at the background of each of them and the critical roles that they have continually played in the aviation world. The Convention of the International Civil Aviation or simply the Chicago Convention came to existence after an agreement reached by 54 states after the end of World War Two. The main aim of the convention was to advance the formulation and development of systematic and attainable safety policies which focused on promoting the global civil aviation services through policies and guidelines. The discussions and general proceedings of the convention led to the formation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency whose primary mandate was and still is to regulate the international civil aviation. As of now, ICAO boasts of 193 Contracting States (ICAO, 2019). In October 24th 2002, ICAO gave a node to the formulation and establishment of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA); a Kenyan government body whose primary functions were to regulate and oversee Aviation Safety and Security, Provision of Air Navigation Services, Economic Regulation of Air Services and Development of Civil Aviation and Train and License qualified Aviation Personnel in accordance with the guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation, specific ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and the Kenya Civil Aviation Act, 2013. Generally, as a United Nations specialized agency responsible for facilitating collaborations in the development of International Civil Aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and at the same time ensuring uniformed application of the SARPs in all member states, ICAO’s policies and regulations has continually affected KCAA in the following ways; It has helped improve the general performance of air transport industry in Kenya For years, air transport has been considered to be one of the key contributors of the global economy. In Kenya, more than 39 airlines actively operate on a day to day basis and have aircrafts which fly to around 64 destinations. Being a global regulator, ICAO saw the need to cover the safety deficiencies and in the process introduced The Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan) which covered all Civil Aviation regulatory bodies in Africa including KCAA. Through the Plan, the general aviation industry in Kenya has achieved remarkable safety record with fewer than 10 fatal accidents recorded in the past decade. Monitoring of Aviation Infrastructure Infrastructure consists of generally hard and soft components. According to experts, the hard and visible infrastructure such as warehouses, runways, taxiways, hangars and terminals are usually accompanied and supported by the soft components which include policies and regulations to enable the system in place to perform well and generate positive impacts. In 2011, as recommended by ICAO, the Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) in collaboration with the KCAA launched a five year strategic plan which became the blueprint for the development of all Kenyan airports. Consequently, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA); the largest and most advanced airport in Kenya, recorded unprecedented growth in three key areas i.e. business, infrastructure and revenue.