Limit obstacles along flight paths to protect lives.[Courtesy]

It is important to limit obstacles along flight paths to protect lives, both of passengers and those occupying buildings along flight paths. Safety is a major priority in aviation. As such, whether to remove buildings that obstruct flight paths should never be negotiated. The tall buildings in Lang’ata, South C and other estates in the neighbourhood of Wilson Airport, which are subject of this discussion, came up 10 to 15 years ago while the airport was still in existence. Compliance with aviation standards should not be subjected to unnecessary negotiations or even political intervention. Opting for review of flight paths to give a lifeline to the investments that have notoriously obstructed safe landing and take-off for aircrafts would set a bad precedent. The law must be followed to the letter. Those who approved the construction of high-rise buildings should be identified and punished. Likewise, developers who defied the strict aviation safety regulations to invest dangerously must feel the pain of their defiance against safety guidelines. If the government fails to act now, similar offenses will be repeated in other airports across the country. That will be a big disaster.