Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has called for Moi Air Base in Eastleigh to be moved out of its current location and for the future of Wilson Airport to be reviewed, arguing that the city's rapid growth has overtaken decades-old planning decisions. He made the remarks on Tuesday, 13 October, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, chaired by Senator Hamida Kibwana.

The governor told senators that the military installation was established when the surrounding area had far fewer residents, but that urban expansion had since brought homes and businesses right up to its perimeter.

"On the Eastleigh Airbase, if you ask me, it needs to be relocated, because when it was set up, we didn't have the kind of human settlement around it," Mr Sakaja said, according to People Daily and Kenyans.co.ke.

Security concerns

Mr Sakaja argued that the dense population around the base could complicate security operations if the country came under attack. He noted that military bases, communication infrastructure and the seat of power are among the targets an aggressor would consider.

"Meaning the people are almost a human shield to the military," he said, as quoted by the Eastleigh Voice and People Daily, adding that millions of people now live near the facility.

He conceded that the proposal might not be welcomed by the military. People Daily reported that he also suggested that any decision to relax restrictions around the installation would require the intervention of President William Ruto as Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces.

Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute asked whether the county had consulted the national government on the proposal and whether moving the base would compromise or improve national security, The Star reported.

Land, Wilson Airport and Vision 2050

According to The Star, Mr Sakaja presented the proposal as part of a wider rethink of land use under the county's planned Nairobi Vision 2050 framework. He said the city's last major urban plan dated back to 1978, with another introduced in 2014, and that neither reflected Nairobi's current population and economic growth.

He cited the land held by the air base as an example, saying neighbourhoods around it lacked public spaces while large tracts remained under military control. He suggested parts of it could host recreational and other public amenities if the relevant authorities agreed, while cautioning that military installations contain sensitive facilities that cannot be opened up without proper assessment.

On Wilson Airport, Mr Sakaja called for its future to be reconsidered amid concerns about encroachment and conflicts between urban development and aviation safety. Senator Kibwana asked whether the facility should be relocated given the pressure for urban expansion, and what plans the county had to deal with aviation safety and land-use conflicts, The Star reported. No timeline was given for either facility.

During the session, the governor also told senators that the county was struggling to enforce planning rules because of legal and institutional hurdles, and urged the Senate to review penalties for developers who build without approval. People Daily reported that the maximum fine for starting development without permission under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019, is Sh500,000, which Mr Sakaja said was too low to deter violations on projects worth billions of shillings.

He further told the committee that the county was developing plans for an underground rail system alongside bus rapid transit and intelligent traffic management.

Background

Concerns over developments near the base are not new. In June 2024, during the Kenya Air Force's 60th anniversary celebrations, President Ruto directed developers building near Moi Air Base to comply with height restrictions meant to protect its operations, Kenyans.co.ke reported.

Photo: Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. Courtesy of The Eastleigh Voice