Many passengers have suffered this terrible experience, and a female Kenyan lawmaker thinks enough is enough.
Lilian Achieng Gogo, MP for Rangwe constituency in western Kenya is reported to have told parliament that farting on planes is a security threat that must be tackled head-on with legislation.
Well, it is not surprising that this controversial matter took centre stage of Kenya’s parliamentary proceedings. Recently, the speaker of that house was compelled to bring proceedings to a halt and then ordered the sergeant-at-arms to spray the environment with air freshener, after an unknown MP farted and rendered the entire plenary temporarily inhabitable.
According to the BBC, Lilian Achieng Gogo was contributing to a motion about amendments to a law on offences committed on aircraft when she expressed her frustration about flight farting.
“There is one irritant that it is often ignored, and this is the level of farting within the aircraft. If this is not managed well it can cause discomfort and insecurity on board. Farting is terrible within the plane,” the lawmaker lamented.
Seriously, no passenger would deliberately embark of farting spree on board a plane to cause inconvenience to other travellers. Some people have genuine flatulence issues, but Lilian would not have any of that.
“We should have systems of the food offered on board and we should have basic medical systems that can reduce the level of gas that one can exude within the flight.
“We should have a basic provision of medicines like Eno… yes, this should be done and it should be a practice that is embedded in law.
“The drinking that happens in flights is terrible, it’s worse than what happens here on the ground. We should have a system where we can manage and control… also, people’s medical history should be obtained before they are served certain alcoholic drinks for their own security” she suggested.