1 W elcome to the 66th issue of msafiri, which features a man who holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Kenyans, Africans and the world at large – Barack Obama. In many ways, the election of Barack Obama is historic and marks a new page in the history of the world. There are many attributes about him, his family, his campaign and his heritage that stand out and that resonate with us. What speaks to me the loudest though is the unique brand of leadership that he represents. His election heralds that the time has come for a new generation and a new approach to leadership. In and outside Africa, we are asking the question, " What makes a great leader?" In fact, across the world we are seeing people demand more from their leaders, since they have realised their rise and fall depends on the calibre of their leaders. I believe that for a leader to be successful he or she must be ethically honest, fair and firm to those he or she leads, able to see into the future and identify opportunities and challenges way in advance, and must have a strong drive to success. In Kenya Airways, we have embarked on a deliberate strategy to identify the next generation of KQ leaders. Our Pride Centre serves as a focal point from which we disseminate courses and programmes to help our people become leaders in the various situations in which they work. In the coming year, we will be commencing work on Pride Centre II. This project, which is expected to cost more than Kshs1 billion, is part of our strategy to focus on people and systems. We believe it will play a critical role in enhancing the skills set of our people so that they can increase the levels of satisfaction in our passengers. The HCC- OCC project is nearing completion and we expect it to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2009. We have also taken delivery of two Boeing 737- 800s, which will greatly enhance our performance, especially within the African network. All these developments are happening against a backdrop of turbulence in the global economy. Just like in the United Titus Naikuni Group Managing Director & CEO msafiri A warm welcome to you aboard Kenya Airways karibu Kenya Airways Marketing & Corporate Communications, Barclays Plaza, Nairobi Q Tel: + 254 ( 0) 20 327 4100 Q Fax: + 254 ( 0) 20 327 4350 Q www. kenya- airways. com Q Give us your feedback on: Customer. Relations@ kenya- airways. com/ msafiri@ kenya- airways. com Q Manager Victoria Kaigai msafiri is published for Kenya Airways by Travel Africa Ltd, 4 Rycote Lane Farm, Milton Common, Oxford, OX9 2NZ, UK Q Tel: + 44( 0) 1844 278883 Q Fax: + 44( 0) 1844 278893 Q Email: msafiri@ travelafricamag. com Q Publisher Craig Rix Q PUBLICATIONS MANAGER Phil Clisby Q editor William Gray Q managing Director Iain Wallace Q art director Lisa Duke Q DEPUTY editor Sally Gray Q Administration Sherry Rix Q Accounts Amanda Gaydon Q Contributors Shlomi Amsallem, Jane Barsby, Graham Bond, Hilary Bradt, Judy Bryant, Lucia Cockcroft, Nick Garbutt, James Holland, Andrew Littlefield, Oliver Pickup, Derek Schuurman, Mark Stratton, Gavin Thomas, Anver Versi, Lizzie Williams, Pamela Wright Q French translation Barry & Josiane Packham Advertising Africa Esther Ngomeli- Ruhiu, MediaEdge Interactive Ltd, 3rd Floor, IKM Place, 5th Ngong Avenue, off Bishops Road, Nairobi, Kenya Q Tel: + 254 ( 0) 20- 2711747/ 2710814/ 5/ 6/ 9 Q Fax: + 254 ( 0) 20- 2711748 Q Email: info@ mediaedgeint. com Rest of World Travel Africa Ltd Q Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1844 278883 Q Fax: + 44 ( 0) 1844 278893 Q Email: msafiri@ travelafricamag. com south africa International Media Representatives Q Tel: + 27 ( 0) 11 258 4250 Q Email: gisela@ imrsa. co. za UNITED KINGDOM Africa Media International Q Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1229 715000 Q Email: carol. ibb@ btinternet. com MIDDLE EAST Adspace Sales Corporation Q Tel: + 971 4 229 3437 Q Email: imelda@ adspacesales. com © Travel Africa Ltd and individual contributors. No part of the contents may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system without prior written permission from the publishers. All advertisements and non- commissioned text are taken in good faith. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy in preparing the magazine, the publisher and Kenya Airways assume no responsibility in effects risen therefrom. Material is submitted at the sender's risk and the publishers and Kenya Airways cannot accept responsibility for accidental loss or damage. States ( home to Obama), across Africa and the world over, we too are facing daunting challenges that force us to draw even deeper on our reserves. Across our network, our passengers are grappling with rising food prices, escalating costs of living and increased costs of operations. During these times, our people will be required to exhibit the highest levels of leadership in dealing with passengers and with difficult conditions, so that we deliver on our promise – everyone from the ground services agents who check you in to the pilots who command the crew who operate our flights; everyone from the engineer who maintains the highest safety and maintenance standards to the trainers who disseminate knowledge to our staff. I am very confident and optimistic about the future of Kenya Airways. I believe our staff, our leadership and our passengers will help us weather these trying times. We invite you to walk with us on this journey as we seek to become better leaders in our operations. We look forward to another year of partnership and the sort of support you have provided in the past.

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