Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has told off Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and Kenya Airways on their remarks about the ongoing standoff.
On Saturday, KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka gave pilots 24 hours starting 11.30 am to return to work or lose their jobs.
He said the executive council members of the pilots' association have called in sick to protect themselves while their members are on strike.
Murkomen went ahead and termed the KQ pilots strike a "sabotage" of the economy and unwarranted.
The CS, who spoke Saturday after touring the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to assess the impact of the strike, said the strike was timed to “test the new administration”.
However, Sifuna disagreed with the remarks made, saying that dialogue was the solution.
"As a member Senate Transport Committee and being one of the affected passengers, I disagree strongly with the tone adopted by CS Murkomen and the KQ Management on this matter of KQ Pilots," he said.
The lawmaker stated that threats never work in terms of solving problems and urged the CS and KQ management to engage with its people.
"Threats never work. Talk to the pilots, engage people. It's a test for us, not you bwana," Sifuna added.
In a statement, Kalpa says the onus to end the stalemate rests with KQ management.
"Kalpa is willing to listen to proposals in genuine negotiations," the lobby's secretary general Muriithi Nyagah says in a statement released Saturday.
The airline is likely to lose close to Sh300 million every day if the strike persists.
At least 10,000 passengers have been affected as 400 Kenya Airways pilots go on strike paralyzing operations of Kenya's national flag carrier.
