Maina Kageni jokingly wonders how people endure economy class while travelling
By Nancy Marende, January 4, 2026Radio presenter Maina Kageni has questioned how travellers endure flying in economy class while on their way to Johannesburg.
In a video on his Instagram on Sunday, January 4, 2026, of him at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Maina appeared amused and slightly bewildered by the experience, joking about the distance between economy class and the front of the aircraft.
“Can you imagine this nonsense? I don’t even know if a plane flies that far back. Hii team building is nonsense,” he stated.
Further, the radio host, who is travelling to Johannesburg, South Africa, also wondered how passengers manage long-haul flights without the luxuries he is accustomed to.
“How do you do this economy thing? Where is the champagne? Let’s start there. How do you deal?” he asked rhetorically.
This comes a few days after businesswoman and social media personality Cashmeer Sayyid was involved in a heated exchange with a Kenya Airways (KQ) official after being asked to move from a business-class seat to economy at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
In a video circulating online on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, Cashmere is heard questioning the airline’s decision, accusing officials of taking money from multiple passengers for the same seats.
She insists that she had booked, paid for, and checked in for her business class seat well in advance.
“So you took money from four different passengers… hiyo ni kucon watu. I want to know who is sitting on 4A and 4C. I booked, I paid, and I checked in last week. Are you going to give me my money right now?” she posed.
During the exchange, one airline staff member suggests that she could wait for the next flight, while another KQ attendant tells her that a refund could be processed through the agent she used to book the ticket.
“We can always refund you through the agent where you booked,” the attendant says.
Cashmere, however, rejects the suggestion, responding, “I am not doing that, you are not serious.”
Taking to her Instagram Stories later, Cashmere expressed frustration over the incident, accusing Kenya Airways of downgrading her from business class to accommodate a captain.
“KQ is the worst airline ever. Aty, you downgrade us from business class juu ya captains since they can’t get anyone else to be downgraded,” she wrote.