Sky News apologises for Kenyan stowaway story
By Nairobi News ReporterSky News has apologized for sharing ‘misleading information’ in relation to the reported ‘disappearance’ of a person it believes was a man of Kenyan origin who fell from a plane in London.
The apology comes hours after Sky News pulled down an investigative article that had “revealed” the identity of the stowaway who fell off a Kenya Airways plane in London.
MISLEADING INFORMATION
All this after the Daily Nation published an exclusive story of the man whose photographs were published by Sky News as the stowaway who fell from the plane.
“Sky News regrets that our reporting was founded on misleading information,” Sky News said in a statement on its website.
“In an interview with a Kenyan newspaper (read Daily Nation) that man has now admitted misleading Sky News. Sky News regrets that our reporting was founded on misleading information,” the British broadcaster further explained.
“The Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority has previously acknowledged that it was possible the stowaway was an airport employee. However, we no longer have conclusive evidence that he worked for the cleaning company Colnet and we apologise to Colnet for suggesting the stowaway was one of their employees,” the statement added.
IDENTITY MYSTERY
Cedric Isaac Shivonje, who met the Daily Nation in a Kenyan prison, said the photos used by Sky News as those of a Paul Manyasi, the alleged stowaway, were his.
In a detailed feature, Sky News had identified the stowaway as Paul Manyasi about a fortnight ago, opening up a pandora’s box as questioned emerged on the real identity of the said stowaway.
That report by John Sparks also indicated that Manyasi’s family confirmed it was their son on board the KQ flight from Nairobi to London.
But Kenyan authorities disputed the report, saying the man in the report was not the dead stowaway.
Paul Manyasi’s father, who had been named by Sky News as Isaac Manyasi, also changed his name to Isaac Betti as the family denied any relations with the said Paul Manyasi.