Eastleigh Member of County Assembly Nicholas Odhiambo has appealed to the government to relocate Moi Air Base in Kamukunji Constituency to facilitate expansion.
Mr Odhiambo, who was elected on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in the last General Election, said the population in Eastleigh is fast growing and Moi Air Base is affecting the development plans for businesses in the area.
The MCA, who spoke at an event in Eastleigh that was attended by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, said that he was elected to represent the interests of residents of Eastleigh, who are mostly businesspeople.
“Initially, we were not allowed to build four-storey buildings near Moi Air Base. But I think the time has come for the military base to be relocated and the land given back to the community to develop the area,” said Mr Odhiambo.
He said that his proposal was based on a recent Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2023 on the Nairobi City County Development Control Policy, which revised the height of tall buildings in some areas.
In the policy paper, which was submitted to the Nairobi County Assembly by Governor Johnson Sakaja for approval, the tallest buildings in some areas, including Eastleigh, will be 25 storeys.
“If we have 30-storey buildings in Eastleigh, I don’t think the airport will be safe. That is my opinion as a leader, we will leave the rest to the national government,” he said.
CS Duale did not comment on the matter when he addressed the residents. He focused on the commissioning of Waqf Towers and the ongoing debate on whether or not miraa and muguka should be banned.
Recently, Governor Sakaja said that Eastleigh is congested and the military airbase was causing traffic jams.
Moi Air Base, formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport, is used by the Kenya Air Force.
The base is also home to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority’s East African School of Aviation, which was established at the airport in 1954 as the DCA Training School.
The base is also used for training Kenyan Air Cadets.
