Former Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau critiqued over JKIA 'stone age' post

Former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau. [The Standard]

Former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau has come under heavy criticism following a post decrying the state of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Kamau, on X, compared the capital Nairobi and the JKIA to developed countries likening the infrastructure to the 'stone age.'

"Sometimes one arrives home from an international trip, say from Dubai, and one looks out the window of the plane at the depressing and chaotic urban sprawl and then gets into the makeshift warehouse that is the terminal and one just wants to weep. It's like we are still in the stone age," said Kamau.

His sentiments were not taken lightly by a section of netizens who called him out in the comment section, reminding him he was a public service officer in the previous regime, and could have changed the status of the airport since he rubbed shoulders with the powers that be.

"You are not even smart enough to know this is the sad legacy of your employer. I hope you remind him constantly of how he pilfered and wasted Kenya as you gleefully clapped for him," lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi opined.

"The problem with you as leaders is when you get the opportunity you never make any meaningful change in the government. You award tenders to friends and relatives who deliver shoddy work. You don't streamline public transport and plan cities and then you complain like us citizens," X user, Kiprotich Lang'at remarked.

On his part politician and blogger Robert Alai wrote; "The things [former president] Uhuru and [then deputy Ruto] left us then now their staff behaves like they are from mars."

Ironically, Kamau served in former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime for four years as the Foreign Affairs PS.

Recently, East Africa's busiest commercial and connection hub, JKIA, has hit headlines for the wrong reasons, with news of leaking roofs and power outages.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is on record saying reforms are underway at the airport, including the expansion of the passenger terminal and runway capacity.