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How Ethiopian Airlines harassed and damaged Kenyan sports administrator’s wheelchair – VIDEO


A physically challenged Kenyan sports administrator has sensationally accused Ethiopian Airlines of harassing her, failing to accord her preferential treatment, and damaging her motorised wheelchair which they have since refused to replace during a recent trip.

In a video uploaded on YouTube, Agnes Oluoch, the chairperson of the Kenya National Paralympic Committee, claims the airline, which was ranked fifth in Africa on delivery of services in 2016, also failed to accord him a specialised wheelchair to disembark from a plane.

Oluoch, who can only move with the aid of a wheelchair, also claims that some airline staff at some point forced her to “stand up” even though she had repeatedly explained to them that she is unable to do so.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITY

“When I was coming back from Angola to get to Addis Ababa, I was so surprised when the check ups were being done. I was being told to stand up and when I told the lady that I cannot stand by myself, she really insisted that I must stand up,” Oluoch said.

“In Addis Ababa (during a layover), I realised that Ethiopian Airlines does not really cater for persons with disability. Because the normal trend with airlines is the persons with disability are the first ones to board the plane  and the last ones to alight.

“I was caught by surprise that I was the last person to board the flight in Nairobi and when getting to Addis Ababa I realised they didn’t even have the cabin wheelchair which they actually have to look for when I told them I cannot walk from my seat which was unfortunate,” she said.

The Addis Ababa based airline has since apologised for the incident and promised to contact Oluoch and “address” the matter.