Pain of building Nairobi airports without urban planning

Eastleigh Airport in the 1950s [Peter Muiruri, Standard]

You probably know that the British did not have an easy time convincing lawmakers in London why a railway line was needed in East Africa.

The purpose, and more so the cost, were obscure hence the unenviable ‘Lunatic Express’ tag.  Exit the railway and enter the quest to build airports in the colony.

Wilson Airport existed in the 1930s when flying was still a low-key affair. Granted, the British carrier, Imperial Airways, used the airport...