THE INSIDE STORY OF KQ CARGO

Dick Murianki, the director of cargo operations at Kenya Airways, is not a big fan of classical music. He prefers afro beats – Rhumba and Lingala. But in navigating the tight ship that is the airline’s cargo business, Murianki is a skilled conductor leading an ensemble of about 200, all playing their parts meticulously to create a perfect symphony.

With over 20 years’ experience at the airline, Murianki must ensure that the different cogs moving the key business products are well oiled. These products include KQ Fresh that airlifts perishable goods such as freshly cut flowers, vegetables or herbs from Kenya to the rest of the world within the shortest time possible, live crabs from the Kenyan coast to China and goat meat and mutton to the Middle East.

There is KQ Live, a segment that can transport ferocious but captive lions from Europe to Africa or delicate chicks from a European country to Central Africa.

Then there is one of the newest kids on the block, KQ Pharma, a state-of-the-art facility that will be key in reducing Africa’s disease burden through temperature-controlled storage and transfer of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals to