Nairobi’s main airport was built by forced labour and remains a single-runway hub.
In short: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the busiest in Kenya, yet its history is marred by the brutal conditions of its colonial-era construction. Despite decades of ambitious expansion plans and a devastating 2013 fire, the facility still relies on a single runway, struggling to keep pace with modern aviation demands.
Originally opened in 1958 as Embakasi Airport, the facility was constructed under the colonial administration of Britain. The project relied heavily on forced labourers, many of whom were suspected members of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army. Conditions were so severe that workers suffered from exhaustion, self-mutilation, and suicide. By the time it opened, the airport served fewer than 600 aircraft movements per month, a stark contrast to its current status as the sixth busiest airport in Africa.
The airport’s infrastructure has faced significant volatility. A massive fire in August 2013 destroyed the international arrival and departure units, forcing the temporary use of domestic facilities and a parking structure. While a new terminal, 1A, opened in 2014, the airport has been defined by failed expansion attempts. Most notably, the Greenfield Terminal project—a Vision 2030 initiative intended to handle 20 million passengers annually—was terminated in 2016 after the contractor failed to secure funding. By 2024, cumulative payments related to this cancelled project reached approximately KES 9.6 billion.
Today, the airport operates with a single 4,117-metre runway, which limits capacity despite passenger numbers reaching 9.07 million in 2024. Plans for a second runway, first approved in 2017 with a quoted cost of KES 37 billion, have been repeatedly paused or deprioritized. Meanwhile, labour unrest has periodically disrupted operations, including strikes in 2024 and 2026 over management and compensation concerns. As regional competitors like Addis Ababa Bole International Airport expand their networks and infrastructure, Nairobi faces increasing pressure to modernize its aging, constrained facility.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
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