The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has increased its airport rescue and firefighting workforce by 43 per cent following the graduation of 98 newly trained officers.
The new recruits bring the authority’s Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services workforce to 326 personnel as airports across the country handle more than 12 million passengers annually.
The graduates, drawn from all 47 counties, include 30 women. They completed a four-month training programme at the KAA Training Academy, certified by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, KAA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Moses Wekesa said airport firefighting services were essential to aviation safety.
“In an emergency, the ability to respond swiftly, work as a team and make sound decisions can mean the difference between life and death,” Wekesa said.
He urged the graduates to learn from experienced officers and uphold safety standards as they prepare to take up their duties at airports across the country.
“Never compromise on safety,” he told the graduates, while calling on supervisors to provide them with practical experience to strengthen their operational competence.
The recruitment comes amid rising air traffic. Between July 2025 and May 2026, KAA airports handled 12.2 million passengers and 285,500 aircraft movements, representing increases of 2.1 per cent and 3.2 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period a year earlier.
Aircraft movements across the network rose by 7.3 per cent in May, while Jomo Kenyatta International Airport recorded a 13.2 per cent increase.
During training, the officers covered aircraft rescue and firefighting, responses to airport building fires and regulations governing airport emergency services.
The graduation ceremony featured a Guard of Honour inspection, a march-past and awards recognising outstanding performance.
The graduates will undergo on-the-job training alongside experienced crews before assuming full operational duties.
the training academy also offers specialised training to personnel from Kenya and across the region.
