Aya Gertrude Konan rises from air hostess to first officer at Air C么te d鈥橧voire
via Tuko3 min read
Aya Gertrude Konan, who began her aviation career as an air hostess in April 2013, has made history by becoming the first female commercial pilot trained by the Ivorian State. After joining Air C么te d鈥橧voire in 2013, she applied for a competitive recruitment and training program launched by the national airline in late 2014. Out of approximately 1,500 applicants, Gertrude was among the 15 selected candidates, and notably, the only woman. Following two years and four months of training from October 2015 to February 2017, she achieved her pilot certification. She is currently a Senior First Officer at Air C么te d鈥橧voire, flying the Airbus A320. Her journey from flight attendant to commercial pilot has garnered widespread praise online, with many netizens commending her resilience and determination.
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Must ReadKenyan newspapers on July 16, 2026, covered several key stories, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's IEBC defense of government-branded item distribution and public project rollouts during election campaigns. IEBC commissioner Anne Nderitu stated that such activities do not automatically constitute voter bribery under Kenyan law, distinguishing them from "voter treatment" which is not an electoral offense. She emphasized that development programs should continue regardless of the political calendar and that citizens should not be denied government services during elections. Nderitu also acknowledged the challenges of policing vote buying due to legal gaps and the high threshold for proving bribery. Separately, a forensic audit revealed a multi-billion-shilling payroll fraud scheme estimated to have cost taxpayers KSh 6.4 billion. The fraud, uncovered after internal auditors detected suspicious payroll irregularities, affected 14 ministries, state agencies, and county governments, including the Ministry of Lands, National Police Service, and Ministry of Health. Investigators believe rogue officials manipulated the payroll system through fraudulent allowance payments. President William Ruto has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the fraud, recover stolen funds, and prosecute those responsible. The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election was also a major focus, seen as a political contest between President William Ruto and f
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