The Kenyan presidency has said the cause of Wednesday’s dawn fire that gutted parts of the country’s main airport is being investigated, hence there is no need for anyone to speculate about it.
”President (Uhuru) Kenyatta wishes to inform all stakeholders and Kenyans that the fire has been contained. The cause of the fire is being investigated. There is no reason to speculate at this point,” presidential spokesman Manoah Esipisu said in a statement, after the President visited the airport.
He said the President was ”dismayed” by the disruption and damage caused by the fire, which started around 5 a.m. local time.
”To the thousands of passengers, including tourists, whose journeys were disrupted, the President shares your concerns and regrets the inconvenience.
”We are concerned that the incident interrupted travelers schedules and appreciate that they are being routed to their destinations as soon as is possible,” Esipisu said
Though no life was lost in the fire incident, flights were suspended and incoming flights diverted to other airports.
However, the spokesman confirmed an earlier report that domestic and cargo flights would resume on Wednesday afternoon.
”President Kenyatta wishes to reassure the entire aviation industry, investors, local and international travelers that everything is being done to resume normal operations. We expect cargo and domestic services to resume from this airport this afternoon. They will operate from the Cargo terminal.
”A time-frame for the resumption of international flights will be relayed later. However, the Kenya Civil Aviation has granted clearance for the use of Unit 3 for international departures and arrivals,” he added.
