By Donald B Kipkorir

On the cold morning of August 7, fire nearly destroyed JKIA. For nearly five hours, we saw myriad responders battling fire using all manner of tools including water buckets.

At the moment, an inquiry is on-going to find out the cause. The cause aside, there are lessons to be learnt, and maybe new plans to be made.

In this age of Facebook, twitter and WhatsApp, the official version of events no longer is the only version.

 From this social media, we know that the response to the fire breakout was slow, incompetent and ineffective. All agree that the fire began at the Immigration area of arrivals. If there is a place in the airport open and accessible to everyone, this is the place. That the fire was allowed to spread means that either, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is incompetent or someone wanted the fire to spread! Every motive is up in the air.

In its recommendations, the team led by Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau, has to demand the heads of the Board and Chief Executive of KAA resign. This is the time for Kenyans in leadership to take moral responsibility for lapses. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the US State of Louisiana and nearly destroyed the City of New Orleans. The responders were praised for saving so many lives and were even given the highest US civilian award, the Congressional Medal. Still, the response process was still riddled with mismanagement and poor leadership, and the first and newly appointed head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Michael D Brown was forced to resign in disgrace. Because, we don’t have such equivalent, the top dogs of KAA must take the flak and be forced to resign.

On the ashes of JKIA, we may build a new phoenix. JKIA could be the 9th busiest airport in Africa, but that is all. In globally accepted rankings by Skytrax of England, we are not anywhere in top 20 in Africa or even top 100 in the world. The rankings are based on over 30 matrices, from ease of access to the airport to passengers’ perception on security and safety standards. Changi International Airport, Singapore consistently ranks No.1 in every index. As we rummage trough the ashes, we need to reflect and ask ourselves why Singapore, a tiny and resource-poor entrepót trumps all airports.

The response to the fire ought to give us another lesson. We always praise ourselves for response to emergencies even if the response will score D. Honest assessment makes us deal with tomorrow’s emergency. Our response to every disaster and emergency has been wanting and each time, we set up a new disaster management team that fails to deliver. This is the time to yet again, set up a new team, but one that will work. Watching the live broadcasts of the JKIA fire showed lack of co-ordination. How can one rush to a fire breakout without checking whether the fire-engine has water? How can you respond without having long pipes to reach the locus quo of the fire? How can you in this day and age, use buckets in an international airport? Aaargh!

My suggestions are two. First, our airport has to be redesigned to fit the modern age. An airport is not merely a place for passengers to fly out, transit or disembark and neither is it a place for cargo deliveries only. An airport represents the aspirations of a nation. It embodies the dreams of a people. Therefore, an airport is a functioning work of art. It is a place that has all amenities of a luxury shopping mall. Most of those who fly are middle class and above; a group that has money to spend. An airport must give them a reason to spend. If need be, let us get Sir Norman Foster who designed the new Beijing International Airport. England or US can pay.

The other suggestion is to establish a permanent Disaster Management and Response Team headed by a capable leader. This is a team that will be able to deal with natural disasters like the perennial floods and famine and also man-made like cattle-rustling and tribal clashes. And of course work of arsonists and negligent people. The team will be trained in all the phases of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery of and from disasters. This team will also integrate all responders. As we clear the debris from JKIA, let fault lie where it should, but also, let us learn from our mistakes. If ever we learn.

 

— The writer is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.