OPP Leader Peter Mayen cum minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. Credit | Courtesy

The minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has refuted media reports that he was pushed off a Kenya Airways flight bound for Nairobi on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

Some media outlets had reported that Peter Mayen was forcefully removed from a plane by fellow passengers after it was detected that had a coronavirus positive test result.

A passenger and an airport staffer are quoted to have alleged that Mayen tried to force his way onto the plane when the angry passengers descended on him.

Another passenger said they were prompted to respond after security officers and KQ staff at Juba International Airport failed to stop the minister from boarding the plane.

In response, Peter Mayen denied being pushed out of the plane, saying “It is not true.”

He, however, admitted to missing the flight on Saturday and opted to use the road.

“What happened on Saturday was that I missed the plane and then I said I should use the road,” he told Eye Radio via phone from Kampala on Tuesday. “I have my Covid-19 certificate and I check for Covid-19 after every two weeks even if I am not traveling.”

Last year, airport authorities complained that some people who consider themselves “very important” were not following the preventive measures at the airport.

“The VIPs just surprise us; from the plane, they go straight home or sit at the presidential room,” Kur Kuol, director of Juba International Airport, had told Eye Radio.

In 2019, airport authorities complained of similar behavior among senior government officials who refuse to undergo Ebola screening upon arrival in the country just like everyone else.

They stated that some VIPs, including ministers, hop into their vehicles which normally wait for them on the runway.

This behavior, the health partners argued, was a threat to public health safety.