Jambojet has often branded itself as the budget airline of choice for Kenyans seeking affordable domestic travel, but incidents like the one experienced on October 2, 2025, expose the cracks behind that image.
The airline’s reputation for reliability was questioned after lawyer and political figure Silas Chepkeres Jakakimba narrated his bitter experience with a last-minute schedule change that cost him the chance to attend the burial of his close friend, former Cabinet Minister and Rongo MP Waziri Dalmas Otieno.
Jakakimba had booked flight JM8652 from Nairobi to Kisumu, scheduled to depart at 9:10 AM and land at 10:10 AM, giving him enough time to travel to Rongo for the burial.
However, hours before the flight, he was informed that the departure had been pushed to 12:10 PM, landing at 1:10 PM.
With the Kisumu to Rongo drive taking one to two hours, this change meant missing an event of deep personal and national importance.
Dalmas Otieno, who passed away on September 7, 2025, was being laid to rest with state honors at his home in Kangeso village, Migori County. The funeral was attended by top leaders, including President William Ruto, who had praised his service to the nation. Missing such a moment due to an airline’s decision was not just a personal loss for Jakakimba but also an example of how corporate inefficiency can interfere with the most important moments in people’s lives.
What made it worse is that flight trackers showed this was not part of Jambojet’s routine adjustments, as the usual departure time for JM8652 was indeed 9:10 AM, raising questions about why this sudden change happened.
Jambojet’s terms promise remedies when delays or changes occur, such as refunds or rebooking options, but in reality many passengers have reported feeling stranded.
The company is quick to shift blame to operational issues, aircraft availability, or air traffic, but rarely does it show sensitivity to passengers whose time and commitments are disrupted.
In Jakakimba’s case, the loss was not just a missed meeting or an inconvenience, it was the burial of a friend and a respected national figure. For many Kenyans, this incident highlights how cheap airfares often come at the cost of reliability.
Kenyan aviation rules require airlines to provide support for long delays, but enforcement is weak, leaving many passengers at the mercy of airline goodwill.
Complaints about Jambojet’s delays have been piling up, with some passengers citing multi-hour hold-ups without clear communication or compensation.
While services like AirHelp argue that travelers may be entitled to compensation for delays beyond three hours, most Kenyans rarely pursue such claims, partly due to lack of awareness or the bureaucracy involved.
Jambojet has positioned itself as the go-to carrier for quick and affordable connections, but this incident shows that affordability without dependability is meaningless.
Jakakimba’s Facebook post tagging the airline was more than just a rant, it was a call for accountability in an industry where passengers are too often taken for granted.
For every delayed flight, there is a human story behind it, and in this case, it was about denying a man the chance to say a final goodbye to a national leader.
Jambojet may want to boast about low-cost tickets, but if it cannot guarantee passengers the dignity of arriving when they are supposed to, then it is failing the very people it claims to serve.
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