Kenya's transport minister has said an airline employee who was suspended for filming a plane arriving from China to Kenya's main airport was not a whistleblower but a criminal.

The minister, James Macharia, told parliament that there was nothing to hide as the China Southern Airlines plane landed in the morning when everyone could see it.

The video had been widely circulated and sparked outrage over the government's refusal to halt direct flights from China in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Macharia said that the Kenya Airways employee disregarded security regulations by filming in the airport.

Other MPs accused Mr Macharia of having double standards, saying there were other people seen in the video filming and nothing had been done about them, the Daily Nation reports.

They reportedly called the suspended worker a "national hero".

Here is a video of discussion posted by the Daily Nation newspaper: