NAS under Parliament focus over airport land

What you need to know:

The National Airport Services (NAS), the catering company that supplies Moi International Airport and JKIA with in-flight meals, has come under the focus of the parliamentary committee investigating the transfers.

The Public Investments Committee (PIC) yesterday questioned Kenya Airports Authority managers over the transfer of about 30 parcels of land within Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), which are said to have been acquired by individuals and private firms.

The National Airport Services (NAS), the catering company that supplies Moi International Airport and JKIA with in-flight meals, has come under the focus of the parliamentary committee investigating the transfers.

PIC vice chairman Kimani Ichung’wa wanted to know how NAS acquired a title deed for land that is right in the heart of JKIA.

“I am very worried to hear from the acting managing director John Thumbi that NAS actually has a title deed for land that is right at the airport,” said Mr Ichung’wa. Mr Thumbi, who is the general manager in charge of finance, confirmed that NAS and other companies have title deeds for JKIA land.

Security

“We will answer that comprehensively. We will provide a list of all parcels of land with titles other than ours,” Mr Thumbi said at the KAA headquarters located at JKIA.

The committee, chaired by Adan Keynan, toured the airport to familiarise with the ongoing expansion at the facility. “We want you to provide a comprehensive list of all properties held by private individuals. JKIA is a quasi-security institution that we must protect,” Mr Keynan said.

The KAA managers said “the decision to give NAS and others title deeds was done long before KAA was given a title,” said Philemon Chemwada, the general manager for engineering services.

Mr Keynan said the committee would investigate grabbing of KAA land. “Land grabbing has been a big problem in this country especially during the 1990s and 2002 when airport land was grabbed by private individuals. We will investigate, name and shame the grabbers,” he said.

The committee visited the Sh4.5 billion Terminal 1-A which is nearly complete. The new terminal will be used for international travel and is expected to handle 12.7 million passengers annually.