Nairobi, April 25 -- A court battle over the dismissal of a senior manager at Kenya Airways (KQ) has exposed an internal dispute over an aircraft engine maintenance contract at the national carrier.

The case was triggered by the airline's decision to sack Daniel Okello and his supervisor over the selection of a higher-cost, third-ranked supplier from Germany instead of a lower-priced Israeli top bidder for a Boeing 737 engine maintenance contract.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi ruled that the airline unfairly terminated Mr Okello, a B787 Materials and Tools Support Manager, but only on procedural grounds.

The court found that although the August 2019 dismissal was valid, the process was flawed due to bias and lack...