Why did the President have to turn back midair

[mya88]

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This is very embarrassing, not that this administration even realizes it, they are insensitive to ridicule. I don't buy the BS they are trying to sell us about no fly zone in Yemen. I want to believe that people in the know would not be this careless with the president of a country as to not have clearance on a trip planned months in advance.

[Logan]

Ouru's aborted  trip to Los Angeles is eerily comparable to  his entire presidency. How do you screw up a trip to Los Angeles? or a clear warning by UK and the Aussies that there is a terrorist attack coming up in Garissa?

The fault is Uhuru's. If one is invited to an event , it is his/her duty to know what is expected of him. He should find out what preparations he need to make. Get some experts in the area to advice him and prepare him for that particular event.

This was different from the usual AU sessions where heads of state regurgitate the same old tired speeches before sinking back into their seats for a good siesta after a sumptuous meal.



Problem with Uhuru Kenyatta is that he is very casual and lacks attention to detail. Just boarded the plane and said  "pirot todhie" and started drinking on board.

By Janet Mwikali-White




Janet Mwikali White is a security analyst based in USA, she comments on topical issues

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[MOON Ki]

This is very embarrassing, not that this administration even realizes it, they are insensitive to ridicule. I don't buy the BS they are trying to sell us about no fly zone in Yemen. I want to believe that people in the know would not be this careless with the president of a country as to not have clearance on a trip planned months in advance.

That was just the first idea the Itumbis could come up with; they have now realized that it's not going to work.   With the help of certain elements in Kenyan media, the plan now is Distraction: "the fellow hosting the conference has a criminal record, so it's just as well our His Excellency did not attend".

It would be nice to believe ... but when the boss devotes so much time and effort to showing that he is "casual", "one of the boys", and always ready for "one for the road", the lack of discipline will eventually trickle down.

[vooke]

Haven't ran into any explanation that's not 90% BS

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

[RV Pundit]

Precisely. Our obsession with the mundane is something. This was a non-event. Something close to a private visit to private conference. Not an official visit to DC.

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Precisely. Our obsession with the mundane is something. This was a non-event. Something close to a private visit to private conference. Not an official visit to DC.

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

He could have simply changed his mind.  That's part of the problem of governing by spin.  It's no longer clear when they need to stop spinning.

[Empedocles]

They ran out of fuel to continue after encountering strong headwinds. Range of the Fokker 70 could barely make it to Dubai with headwinds. Miscalculation by Uhuru's handlers who thought they can change physical laws by decree. Pilots had no choice but to attempt the flight with a short range aircraft.

[mya88]

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

There was always going to be need for explanations especially because he was expected in the US and plans had been made by other diaspora bodies for his arrival. People were looking forward to the trip and the administration had hyped it so much it was not going to go unnoticed........but the excuse they came up with was disturbing. It certainly explains the callousness with which Uhuru leads the country..........nothing better is to be expected, if he cannot even be responsible for his own wellbeing. I don't think we would be calling this mundane had his plane been shot down somewhere in a war zone because his administration failed to get clearance on the route he should have taken..

[mya88]

Problem with Uhuru Kenyatta is that he is very casual and lacks attention to detail. Just boarded the plane and said  "pirot todhie" and started drinking on board.

Te he hehe Jakoyo yawa.

[vooke]

Most intelligent spin. Except it reduces EVERYONE else into morons. Nobody knew any of this before takeoff?

They ran out of fuel to continue after encountering strong headwinds. Range of the Fokker 70 could barely make it to Dubai with headwinds. Miscalculation by Uhuru's handlers who thought they can change physical laws by decree. Pilots had no choice but to attempt the flight with a short range aircraft.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

There was always going to be need for explanations especially because he was expected in the US and plans had been made by other diaspora bodies for his arrival. People were looking forward to the trip and the administration had hyped it so much it was not going to go unnoticed........but the excuse they came up with was disturbing. It certainly explains the callousness with which Uhuru leads the country..........nothing better is to be expected, if he cannot even be responsible for his own wellbeing. I don't think we would be calling this mundane had his plane been shot down somewhere in a war zone because his administration failed to get clearance on the route he should have taken..

I still think the man could have simply changed his mind due to other commitments and let the organizers know.  A typical President is a very busy person after all; let alone one in a country that is literally at the mercy of Al shabab.

[mya88]

I still think the man could have simply changed his mind due to other commitments and let the organizers know.  A typical President is a very busy person after all; let alone one in a country that is literally at the mercy of Al shabab.

That would have certainly been much better than trying to spin. He has the right to right to change his mind.......not sure about the busy part when it comes to this president, after all wasn't he at a formula 1 race in Dubai the last time Kenya was being attacked by the Alshabaab.

[Omollo]

I am busy analysing the stories:The Uhuru Kenyatta Flight Mystery

I found out that if the plane went as far as Aksum which is the normal route of planes heading North, then it returned home with almost no fuel to take it to Wilson Airport incase JKIA were closed by Al Shabaab. That is brinkmanship. A plane shall have enough fuel to make it to the nearest alternative landing port in this case Mombasa, Kisumu or Eldoret.

I still think the man could have simply changed his mind due to other commitments and let the organizers know.  A typical President is a very busy person after all; let alone one in a country that is literally at the mercy of Al shabab.

That would have certainly been much better than trying to spin. He has the right to right to change his mind.......not sure about the busy part when it comes to this president, after all wasn't he at a formula 1 race in Dubai the last time Kenya was being attacked by the Alshabaab.

[mya88]

Ommollo
I have been reading your analysis and from what you right, I gathered this much

Fokker 70 Specifications
 Crew: two
 Cruising speed: 845 km/h (525 mph)
 Range: 3.410 km (2.119 miles)
 Service ceiling: 11.000 m (36.089 ft)

With that little amount of flight endurance, that plane even after refueling in Dubai or wherever they wanted could have never made it to the US which is about 13,000km+. Maybe he was never coming after all and just went on a joy ride to hoodwink the populace.

Then you make a very important observation about the time difference and the change in attire. Why did he need to dress in a suit to return home after a 2 hour flight?

p/s I like your new and improved website.

[MOON Ki]

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

Not when the Deputy President, heads of military, cabinet secretaries, and so on line up like flower girls to see him off.    And they had to scramble to "receive" him on the unexpected return, with Ruto apparently driving himself there!

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Why the need for explanations?  If he turns back without excuses, it's a non-event.

I am not sure anybody would have noticed kamwana had left or was still around it they just zipped it.

Not when the Deputy President, heads of military, cabinet secretaries, and so on line up like flower girls to see him off.    And they had to scramble to "receive" him on the unexpected return, with Ruto apparently driving himself there!

Hehehe..I had not considered that aspect. 

During the Nyayo era, even the parliamentary janitor had to be there on the tarmac.

[MOON Ki]

Precisely. Our obsession with the mundane is something. This was a non-event. Something close to a private visit to private conference. Not an official visit to DC.

I don't think so.   Whether or not he made it to the USA might be considered a "non-event".   But indications of high levels of incompetence in State House and the highest echelons of government is something that should concern all Kenyans.   As mya88 has indicated, if they can bungle such things, what can they be entrusted with.

One also notes that GoK has recently hired, at taxpayers' expense, Western PR companies to spruce up the country's image overseas.    That image is hardly helped when the head of state himself is involved in silly bungling.   

[Empedocles]

I am busy analysing the stories:The Uhuru Kenyatta Flight Mystery

I found out that if the plane went as far as Aksum which is the normal route of planes heading North, then it returned home with almost no fuel to take it to Wilson Airport incase JKIA were closed by Al Shabaab. That is brinkmanship. A plane shall have enough fuel to make it to the nearest alternative landing port in this case Mombasa, Kisumu or Eldoret.

I still think the man could have simply changed his mind due to other commitments and let the organizers know.  A typical President is a very busy person after all; let alone one in a country that is literally at the mercy of Al shabab.

That would have certainly been much better than trying to spin. He has the right to right to change his mind.......not sure about the busy part when it comes to this president, after all wasn't he at a formula 1 race in Dubai the last time Kenya was being attacked by the Alshabaab.

Your assumption of a straight line Nairobi to Aksum is wrong. The earth is a sphere. Add the fact that commercial and private aircraft fly along so called airways, which often are not direct routes, which have to be filed and approved by all countries they plan to fly over through a flightplan. Without a properly filed and cleared flightplan, they would never have been able to takeoff. Go to flightradar24.com and figure out the chaos (and mid-air collisions) which would take place without these measures in place.
Also note given range for the F70 is with full reserves.
The plane could have only made it to Dubai with favourable winds, which they didn't get. Uhuru's handlers gambled wrongly. The captain correctly abandoned the flight when he realised they would not make it without a refueling stop and before they reached the point of no return.

[MOON Ki]

Your assumption of a straight line Nairobi to Aksum is wrong.

I got lost somewhere.   Where does he assume that?