Kenya’s vintage Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

A view of JKIA. [PHOTOS: FILE/STANDARD]

By PETER MUIRURI

When Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) sneezes, all other regional airports catch a flu. This was the case last week when East Africa’s premier airport was engulfed in flames. Mombasa, Entebbe and Dar es Salaam airports reported flight disruptions as a result of what was happening hundreds of kilometres away in Nairobi.

Formerly called Embakasi and later Nairobi International Airport, JKIA is Kenya’s largest aviation facility, and the busiest airport in East and Central Africa, serving as a major connection hub to dozens of international airlines. Its history is intertwined with that of independent Kenya.

New airport

The original airport or Old Embakasi was built in the 1950s at a cost of £2.5 million (Sh337.5 million), just in time to serve the newest fleet of Boeing 707s and DC8s. The new airport was supposed to be opened by the Queen Mother. However, this was not to be as she was delayed in Australia due to a technical trouble with her Qantas Super Constellation plane. This gave an opportunity to the then Governor Sir Everyn Baring to officiate at the ceremony on Sunday March 9, 1958.

It was momentous even for Kenya, a country that was still engulfed in a fierce liberation struggle that was termed by the governor as being “tantamount to a civil war.” The concrete and bitumen airport still carried with it the bitter taste of the raging war between the colonial masters and the natives. The runway on which Baring stood during the opening ceremony had been built by Mau Mau detainees undergoing “corrective” de-indoctrination.

Reference point

The new facility was a feat of engineering. Much care had been taken to select the site that would become the initial reference point for any foreigner visiting the country. Previously, flights landed at Eastleigh Airport, a facility that became unusable during the rains.

Plans were drawn in 1953 by H R Thompson, the then government architect, roping in R N Taylor, who was the director of the Public Works department. The site was a pilot and air controller’s dream. Embakasi is a lava plain that provided a hard foundation upon which the runway would sit. Approaches were free from any obstruction more than 20 kilometres from any direction. Kilimambogo, the most visible landmark, was way out of the city to pose any immediate danger to the new airport. It was (and still is) possible to see the two highest mountain peaks on the continent, Kilimanjaro and Kenya from Embakasi on clear days.

In addition, there was no physical limit to the runway extension if that were deemed feasible in the future. Eastleigh, on the other hand, was located in an area that was quickly becoming a human settlement. Having built several other airports in Africa, including Salisbury and Khartoum, the British were wiser not to repeat any mistakes in the new airport. By all means, Embakasi was said to be a world-class airport that still had much room for expansion.

Aesthetic beauty was not left behind either. Writing a week after the airport’s grand opening, A T Pugh of Flight Journal noted: “On each side of the customs hall are some quadrangle gardens within the airport buildings. The smaller of these, adjacent to the arrivals channel, is intended to soothe nervous passengers. The garden on the other side of the hall has a pond stocked with golden carp and — so the story goes — small indigenous fish, which appeared in rainwater pools during excavations for the runway.”

Whole of africa

Further expansions were carried out after independence at a cost of £800,000 (Sh108 million) and were opened by the then President Jomo Kenyatta in 1971. “Very soon, this will be one of the most up-to-date and best equipped airports in the whole of Africa,” said President Kenyatta.

True to his word, the airport was taking its rightful place among major airports on the continent and beyond. Its duty free shops were gaining popularity by the day. As the East African Standard reported then, it was the little things on offer at the shops that meant a lot when not available — needles, cotton wool, a button, toothbrush and telegram.

Circular design

By the time retired President Daniel arap Moi was taking over from Mzee Kenyatta, the modern wing, as we know it today, was under construction on the opposite side of the runway. The circular design of the terminal buildings had become the universal face of the airport.

Ironically, in the aftermath of the fire last week, some blame was shifted to the design of the airport. In a report carried by The Standard on Friday last week, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau was quoted as saying that there were design flaws at the airport, which presented a challenge in accessing some areas.