National carrier, Kenya Airways will starting Tuesday fly to the United Kingdom (UK) through Gatwick Airport, after it secured the second entry.

KQ will make its maiden flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Gatwick Airport in a bid to enhance its global network.

KQ General Sales Manager East Africa Rose Kisel said that Heathrow Airport, which was its first route, does not accommodate more flights. 

Speaking during the 2025 Kenya Air Travel Agents (KATA) annual general meeting and convention in Mombasa, Kiseli said that Gatwick will give the national airline additional connectivity.

She said Gatwick will give the airline additional connectivity and enable them to take customers beyond the entry point.

“We are excited about a second entry point in the UK. The slots in Heathrow do not accommodate more flights, and this is the reason we are starting flights to Gatwick in the UK next Wednesday (today).

Kenya Airways Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu said that the new flight to Gatwick is already fully booked. 

Thairu said that the airline added a new Boeing 737-800 in a bid to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

 “We are advancing a comprehensive fleet optimisation strategy. Our plan is to grow our fleet by 30 per cent over the next five years to streamline operations, enhance reliability, and offer the flexibility needed to expand into new and underserved markets,” said Thairu.

He said the new route to Gatwick optimises the airline’s route plan that offers customers more choice, seamless connections, and flexible schedules through increased frequencies, new destinations, and strategic codeshare agreements.

Thairu said the Gatwick route will enhance UK connections and deepen the global network.

“We want to launch a new passenger flight to Gatwick in London in July. We are happy that through your collaboration, the new flight is already full, and we thank you for the support you have accorded us over the years,” said Thairu. 

He noted that in April, KQ became the first airline in Sub-Saharan Africa to launch New Distribution Capability (NDC) content via the Amadeus Travel Platform that allows them to share fares, seat selection, and baggage options directly with travel agents to enhance travel retailing capabilities.

Thairu said KQ, which posted a net profit of Sh5.4 billion, was a first full-year profit in 12 years.

“Kenya Airways is turning a corner. Last year, we recorded profits for the first time in many years — along with record-breaking passenger and cargo volumes,” said Thairu.

Thairu also said KQ should be protected and allowed to grow even as the tourism stakeholders advocate for open skies to boost the number of international flights and attain the five million tourist target by 2027. By Joackim Bwana |, The Standard

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has condemned the government’s decision to withdraw the lunch subsidy for Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) personnel.

Speaking at  Kameme TV on Monday morning, June 30, 2025, the former vice president warned that the move risks damaging the morale and effectiveness of the military. 

“The clarion core of the army is moving with the stomach. When you get into issues related to their meals. You are even compromising the morale of the defence forces,” he stated.

He questioned the logic behind the policy shift and demanded greater transparency from government officials responsible for the rollout.

“We condemn the rollout of the new system. I don’t know who is advising the government. If they don’t have money, they should just say so,” she said.

Under the pay-as-you-eat (PAYE) system, set to take effect on July 1, 2025, KDF personnel are expected to pay for their meals out of pocket.

The rollout of the PAYE system immediately replaces the traditional exchequer-funded lunch programme, despite disquiet from a section of servicemen and women of lower ranks, who heavily depend on the subsidy initiative for survival. 

The rollout

The rollout was communicated through a letter from the Kenya Army Headquarters dated June 23, 2025, signed by Chief of Logistics Brigadier Eric Nzioki Kitusya, titled ‘Implementation of Pay-As-You-Eat (PAYE) Program’.

“The implementation of the subject program is scheduled to commence on 01 July 2025. In this regard, authority is granted to you to demand Ration Scale Four (4) for fourteen (14) days with effect from 1st July 2025 for use as seed capital for the programme. Your demands to reach this headquarters not later than 25th June 2025.”

 

 “Please note that it is envisaged that the proceeds of the seed capital will form a self-sustaining revolving fund to be administered by the Pay-As-You-Eat Management Committees to oversee the operation of the messing facilities,” the letter further reads.

 “Further, you are advised to utilise the existing messing infrastructure/facilities/amenities to support the Pay-As-You-Eat programme. Additional requirements will continue to be considered progressively on a case-by-case basis in the 2025/2026 financial year.”

Responding to the new changes set to take effect on Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence stated, “The decision to transition from the exchequer-funded lunch program for service members to the Pay-As-You-Eat system has been necessitated by the need to streamline budgetary allocation, efficiency in use of government resources, facilitating access to a variety of meals that suit individual preferences, and alignment to best military practices both regionally and internationally.” 

“The exchequer-funded lunch system has proved non-cost-effective. It does not offer flexibility of time, nor does it provide the convenience of a feeding place, and it has been faulted for loss of working hours due to long queues and duplication of ration scales when service members are assigned to different camps,” the ministry added.

The ration cash allowance was introduced into the Kenya Defence Forces in 2000, when the provision for other meals, including breakfast and dinner, was discontinued. By Nancy Marende, People Daily

Since conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, more than 4 million people have fled to neighbouring countries in search of food, shelter and safety – with families often arriving traumatised, malnourished, and with little more than the clothes on their backs.   

WFP quickly mobilized to provide emergency assistance to refugees escaping to seven neighbouring countries. Food and cash, hot meals, and nutrition support have been provided in the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda. The agency also expanded support to host communities who have generously welcomed refugees, despite often grappling with their own food insecurity needs. 

However, continued food assistance is quickly exceeding available funding. WFP’s support to Sudanese refugees in CAR, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya may grind to a halt in the coming months as resources run dry. In Uganda, many vulnerable refugees are surviving on less than 500 calories a day – less than a quarter of daily nutritional needs - as new arrivals push refugee support systems to the breaking point. And in Chad, which hosts almost a quarter of the four million refugees who fled Sudan, food rations will be reduced in the coming months unless new contributions are received soon. 

“This is a full-blown regional crisis that’s playing out in countries that already have extreme levels of food insecurity and high levels of conflict,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance. This will leave vulnerable families, and particularly children, at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.” 

Children are particularly vulnerable to sustained periods of food insecurity. Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children in reception centres in Uganda and South Sudan have already breached emergency thresholds as refugees are severely malnourished even before arriving in bordering countries to receive emergency assistance. 

Inside Sudan, WFP has worked to scale up assistance to reach over 4 million people per month – four times more than at the beginning of 2024. Vital support to new refugees in neighbouring countries was also expanded; in Chad, WFP quadrupled warehouse capacity and expanded food pipelines to support the influx of refugees crossing from Darfur and to sustain cross-border operations into Sudan. In Egypt and South Sudan, WFP scaled up cash assistance after the civil conflict began in 2023, enrolling eligible Sudanese families within hours of arrival to provide immediate support. 

“Refugees from Sudan are fleeing for their lives and yet are being met with more hunger, despair, and limited resources on the other side of the border,” said Hughes. “Food assistance is a lifeline for vulnerable refugee families with nowhere else to turn.” 

WFP is urging the international community to mobilise additional resources to sustain food and nutrition assistance for Sudan’s refugees and the host communities supporting them. 

WFP needs just over US$200 million to sustain its emergency response for Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries for the next 6 months. An additional $575 million is needed for life-saving operations for the most vulnerable inside Sudan. 

“Ultimately, humanitarian support alone will not put an end to conflict and forced displacement –political and global diplomatic action is what’s urgently needed to end the fighting so that peace and stability can return,” said Hughes. WFP