Fire in Nairobi International airport – a lack of flowers at home?

I’ve just been reading about the massive fire that swept through Jomo Kenyatta international airport in Nairobi early this morning – to say it has had devastating effects seems like an understatement. As one who has been through that airport many times, on my own and with teams in my wake, I can visualize the place very clearly, and the photos of the aftermath of the fire are heartbreaking to see.

The levels of impact of this fire are numerous, and as I read the news report I found my mind racing in various directions.

The initial thoughts go with the Kenyans – the emergency services who fought the fire, the medics who will be treating the victims, the airport officials and Kenyan authorities trying to decide what the plan of recovery is, the victims themselves, and their families.

Then there are all the passengers who were planning to fly places via Nairobi airport. The biggest airport in eastern and central Africa, it is a major terminal for transitting through, as well as a key holiday destination in its own right – how many people have now had their travel plans ruined as a result? And how many families around the world are now not able to receive visitors or family members who were coming on flights via Nairobi?

And of course, as a regular leader of teams of young people, my mind also goes out to all the team leaders, and teams, who find themselves either unable to go on a mission trip, or unable to get home from one. Although the thought of being stranded abroad can seem quite appealing at times, especially if it is in a warm sunny climate and it’s cold and wet at home, the reality can soon be a different kettle of fish altogether. Accommodation hassles, lack of money, unauthorized time off work, an ever decreasing list of activities to keep you amused whilst waiting, possible medical implications if staying longer than planned etc; and the logistics of trying to reschedule a team of 30 so that all under-age travellers are accompanied by adults, of the right gender – every team leader’s worst-case scenario!

Obviously there are travel agents and airlines all over the place working to sort out the problems, but the ripple effects of one fire just seem to go on and on and on.

One effect of the fire that will be felt by Kenya for a long time is the economic impact. Kenya is a key producer of many perishable goods, and at any time on our supermarket shelves we can find Kenyan green beans, peas, tomatoes etc and also flowers. The impact of not being able to export all the flowers, and other perishable goods that Kenya produces in such abundance, will in itself have a big effect on the Kenya finances; and then if you add in the consequences of having to find money to rebuild the airport, and the loss of tourism money – not good news at all.

Sadly, whilst Kibera slum is not particularly near Nairobi airport, and the folks of Kibera didn’t start the fire, the chances are that it is those residents who will be some of those who suffer the most. Already living on the poverty line, and with only casual labour for most of them, the people of Kibera will be the ones who feel it most when prices go up to offset the loss of income nationally. They already struggle to make ends meet, and our CRED partner in Kibera, Spurgeons Academy, often provides the children with their only meal of the day through its feeding programme.

However, the feeding programme also struggles to make ends meet, and if food prices continue to rise, then running the programme will prove even harder.

So whilst we might find that we have a lack of flowers on the supermarket shelves as a result of the fire, do say a prayer for the Kenyans. I suspect the recovery from this fire will be slow and painful, and felt for many months, even years, by many Nairobi residents as well as those in the wider reaches of the country.