Poor architectural design slowed down efforts to contain JKIA blaze

By MOSES MICHIRA and RAWLINGS OTIENO

KENYA: The State has admitted that design flaws at the country’s largest airport played a major role in preventing firemen from containing the blaze that brought down a section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Wednesday.

The design of the arrivals hall only allows for human traffic, cutting out critical provisions including fire fighting equipment and ambulances.

Consequently, firemen could only fight the inferno from outside the terminal, which is more than 50 metres from the point where the fire was first spotted.

“There are design flaws at this airport, which presented a challenge in accessing some areas,” said Michael Kamau, the Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary.

 Mr Kamau’s admission is the first concession from the State that the damage caused by the fire could have been minimal if the airport was better designed.

6 million customers

He blamed the flaws on lack of a proper investment plan in the regional air travel hub to meet the growing capacity and demand.

JKIA was designed in1974 to cater for 2.5 million passengers, but little has been done to grow the infrastructure to meet the needs of the 6 million customers who now pass through it annually.

Meanwhile, the Government announced that full operations at the airport will resume later tonight.

On Thursday, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that international airlines will be able to land and take off from JKIA under advice from midnight on Friday.

Mr Kamau also said the State pavilion usually reserved for visiting heads of state would be open to travellers as part of measures to ease the crisis. “Kenya Airport Authority’s safety marshals will continue to carry out safety briefings for airport workers to ensure international safety and security standards are maintained,” he said through a statement issued Thursday. 

The authority’s ICT team is also working with various technology partners to restore the crucial connectivity and passenger system at the temporary passenger processing units.