I have imported some old travel related posts from my personal blog into this one. This particular post is about my misadventure in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta airport in 2010. I can safely say that this was one of the worst airports I have ever passed through, and I have experienced some truly terrible airports.
May 2010
Recently I went back to my favourite continent…a journey into the heart of Africa. And when I say heart, I really mean the literal central part of Africa – Rwanda. A country that’s known as the land of a thousand hills…the Switzerland of Africa!
My first trip to Kigali, the capital city was in October 2008 and for several reasons, it was a trip I won’t forget easily. It was one of the most complicated routes I had ever travelled, with so many layovers, that by the time I reached Rwanda, I really didn’t care about the beauty of the hills. Secondly, I was on a plane 35,000 feet above sea-level, travelling to the dark continent on the day of the festival of lights – Diwali! So, I had reasons to be biased against Rwanda even before I arrived.
But once I recovered from a good night’s sleep and had the opportunity to meet people and look around the city, I was hooked. I’m very familiar with Uganda and Kenya, two of the neighbouring East African countries and I expected Rwanda to be similar. In fact, the only thing I knew about Rwanda was the genocide and I wasn’t really expecting much when the invitation to attend the East Africa Business Forum appeared in my mailbox.
That trip in 2008 changed my perception of Rwanda drastically. I learnt so much more about the country, its history, the culture, and most importantly the foresight and vision of President Kagame who has turned a war-torn nation around, literally on its head! Everyone I met, from business people to government authorities was so switched on and clued into everything. Young, vibrant, dynamic and forward thinking, are some of the terms that come to mind when asked to describe the people that are in the administration.
When the opportunity arose to go back to Rwanda in 2010, I jumped at it. Of course, one thing that hasn’t changed is the complicated route one needs to fly from Malaysia to reach Kigali. Only 6 airlines worldwide fly into Rwanda and my complicated route included an 8-hour journey from KL to Dubai, a 3-hour layover in Dubai, then a 5-hour journey from Dubai to Nairobi, a 5-hour layover in Nairobi, and finally a 2-hour flight from Nairobi to Kigali on Kenya Airways, the pride of Africa!
The journey started on a pretty good note. I got upgraded to Business on the first leg from KL to Dubai on Emirates. A blessing on a long 8-hour flight. Once in Dubai airport, I managed to find some books I’d been looking for, for quite some time at the airport, which kept me in a pretty good mood. The flight to Nairobi was uneventful though I was dreading the 5-hour transit, as there really isn’t much to do at the Jomo Kenyatta airport. I found myself a corner at the Java Lounge, the popular coffee shop in the airport and got down to catching up on emails and people watching alternately while I waited for the 11.40 pm flight.
A group of British soldiers trooped in at one point providing much-needed eye-candy relief. I could swear one of them was a dead ringer for Prince Harry! A random guy picked up a conversation with me and turned out he was waiting for the same flight and proceeded to tell me all about his agri-products business in Africa. After several rounds of strong Kenyan Coffee and a (ahem) stimulating discussion about agriculture, it was time to board.
At the gate, I found out the flight actually goes all the way to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, and stops at Kigali on the way. I boarded the half-empty flight and was thrilled to find I was on an empty row. I stretched out on the seats exhausted, hoping to wake up only once the plane touches down in Kigali. Alas, that was not to be. 15 minutes into the flight, we hit turbulence and just like in the movies, there was a sudden flickering of lights in the cabin and everything blacked out for a few seconds. The Captain requested everyone to stay strapped into their seat belts. The meal service that had just started was suspended. I reluctantly got up from my horizontal position to strap myself into the seat and once again there was that scary flickering of lights. This time, accompanied by major turbulence and it was scary!
Suddenly, the purser announced – Ladies and Gentlemen, we are returning to Nairobi. Please have your seat back upright, tray tables folded and fasten seat belts.
Eh???? We waited for an explanation. None was given.
30 minutes after we have taken off from Nairobi, we return. Finally, after safely touching down, the captain announces that there was an electrical fire that necessitated the return! Shock, surprise, and relief mixed with confusion filled the cabin. We’re offloaded and told to expect further instructions from Kenya Airways ground staff.
12.30 am – There are no Kenya Airways staff at the gate. No one to tell us what is going on or what arrangements are being made. A group of really angry and tired passengers are left stranded in the middle of the night and the ‘pride of Africa’ has gone missing. A Kenya Airways Paris flight is boarding nearby and a lone, young female ground staff is at the counter. The stranded passengers descend upon her like a flock of angry geese and the poor girl is left in tears, as she doesn’t have a clue. She is only there to board the Paris flight.
Passengers are getting tetchier by the minute. One of my phones is dead and the other is dangerously close to dying. I don’t want to go too far away from the group in search of an electrical socket to charge my phones. Eventually, I find a dodgy looking wall socket with half the wiring sticking out and try my luck. Voila, it works! I park myself on the floor next to the dodgy socket and am busy Tweeting and Facebooking my woes.
Frayed nerves, exhausted and travel-fatigued, people are getting angrier by the minute. Kenya Airways doesn’t seem to care since they haven’t deemed it fit to send anyone over to keep the passengers informed. Finally at 2.15 AM, a KQ official walks in and announces that the next flight to Kigali is at 11 AM the next morning and passengers were being put up in a hotel for the night. My conference begins the next morning at 9 AM and clearly I am going to miss the opening session officiated by President Kagame, thanks to Kenya Airways.
But the nightmare is not over. We clear immigration and are told not to worry about our checked-in bags as they will be held in storage overnight. We are asked to head to a KQ counter that will give us our hotel vouchers. Once again confusion arises. The counter is manned by one person and there are over 100 passengers. The official behind the counter looks clueless and has no answers. As everyone crowds around the counter, suddenly the conveyor belt nearby starts moving and hey…what do you see – the bags that are to be held in storage overnight by KQ! Obviously, someone forgot to inform baggage handlers. So, there is a mad scramble as everyone tries to get their bags and once again chaos reigns.
3 am – Passengers are segregated into groups and each group is escorted to a van waiting outside that is to take us to the hotel. But wait…this is a 20-seater van, with 30 pax in each group and their luggage! But Kenya Airways, the pride of Africa, is unfazed. We are all loaded into the van with our luggage and packed in like sardines! Suitcases and bags of all shapes and sizes are loaded into the van and stuffed into every available surface.
3.30 am – We are at the hotel and told that departure for the airport is at 7.30 am for those headed to Kigali, and 6 am for those going to Bujumbura.
I fall into exhausted sleep and after what feels like only a few minutes, the alarm goes off. A quick shower, a half decent breakfast and its time to leave.
7.30 am – Luggage and people are loaded into the van. But the van doesn’t move and there is a commotion in the lobby. The hotel claims a guest has taken a Kit Kat bar and a can of Pepsi from the mini bar and has not paid for it! The guest says he doesn’t even know where the mini bar is and he was so exhausted when he checked in, he went straight to bed. Argument ensues and the guest is mega offended and refuses to pay, on grounds of principle.
The hotel manager is yelling that he won’t let the bus leave till the bill is settled. The guest is yelling back that this is blackmail, and fraud and cheating.
Eventually, a Brit guy sitting next to me yells out from the window – Oi, how much is that bill?
8 dollars!
He pulls out a $10 bill and hands it out the window to the hotel manager and tells him to put a lid on it. Literally!
The bus is released from the hostage situation and finally, we are on our way to the airport. We check-in again, get new boarding passes, and hang around the gate. 11, its time for take-off and….a passenger is missing. His bag is checked-in, but he is nowhere to be found. Which is not surprising because Kenya Airways made no actual announcement about the boarding gate. The electronic display at the departure lounge did not indicate the gate number. And the only reason I found the gate is because I walked up and down a dozen times and finally found the board for Kigali hanging in front of the gate. Which is perhaps what the others did as well, except this one guy.
11 am: It’s time for take-off and….a passenger is missing. His bag is checked-in, but he is nowhere to be found. Which is not surprising because Kenya Airways made no actual announcement about the boarding gate. The electronic display at the departure lounge did not indicate the gate number. And the only reason I found the gate is because I walked up and down a dozen times and finally found the board for Kigali hanging in front of the gate. Which is perhaps what the others did as well, except this one guy.
Finally, his bag is offloaded and 20 minutes later, we finally take off. This time, when we touch down, I am actually in Kigali!
I spent an amazing 4 days in Kigali meeting some of the brightest people in the country. And that’s what makes all of this drama worthwhile because Rwanda is truly a country on the move. Officials are solution oriented, bureaucratic red tape is minimal, corruption is almost non-existent and everyone is so open and approachable!
Restaurant recommendations – Republika and Shokola! I visited Republika during the 2008 trip and loved the log cabin feel to it. Fantastic food, great music and lovely ambience.
Shokola is a Mediterranean restaurant with an amazing menu, …yes even for my vegetarian palate. Huge, open spaces, Arabic/Moroccan themed loungy décor. Looks absolutely ethereal at night.
I was sorry to leave after 4 days…would have loved to go to the Gorilla park for a bit of the touristy sights. But as always, work calls. Thankfully, the return flight from Kigali to Nairobi was on Rwandair which even if not fancy was at least on time and the staff were polite and friendly!
I hope, soon other airlines would start flying into Kigali so that people have options other than Kenya Airways to visit this beautiful country!
Update: In the last 6 years, much has changed. Other airlines have now started to fly into Kigali. Nairobi is not the only layover option anymore. In August 2013, a fire broke out through the main terminal of Jomo Kenyatta airport completely destroying the arrival and departure units. Following the fire, temporary tents were established on the tarmac to handle international arrivals. A new terminal was opened in July 2014.
