A Nation in Mourning: How Raila Odinga’s Body Repatriation, JKIA Closure Shook the Economy in a Single Day

When the remains of Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on October 16, 2025, thousands of mourners flooded the facility to receive him.

What began as a solemn moment of national mourning quickly evolved into a massive logistical and economic disruption, one that Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) later described as a “precautionary closure to restore order and ensure safety.”

For several hours, Kenya’s busiest aviation hub came to a standstill. The ripple effects stretched far beyond the airport gates, freezing passenger movement, halting cargo shipments, clogging major highways, and disrupting trade in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.

Now, economists and logistics experts are weighing in on what that single day may have cost the Kenyan economy.

JKIA handles close to 9 million passengers annually, translating to an average of about 24,000 travellers every day. With over 40 airlines using the airport for both regional and international routes, even a short-term suspension has wide-reaching implications.

“The aviation sector operates on precision timing,” said Prof. John Mutua, an aviation economist at the University of Nairobi. “A delay of just a few hours can cascade into millions of shillings in losses, not just for airlines but for freight forwarders, ground handlers, and passengers.”

According to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) reports, JKIA generates between KSh 14 billion and KSh 19 billion annually from landing, parking, and passenger fees, roughly KSh 40 to 50 million per day. Add customs processing, where the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) collects about KSh 49 billion annually through JKIA (roughly KSh 134 million daily), and the numbers start to reveal the cost of a shutdown. Even if only a fraction of that activity was paused, the single-day economic disruption is estimated in the hundreds of millions of shillings.

Airlines, Travellers, and the Price of Disruption

The closure led to cancelled and delayed flights, forcing airlines to absorb rebooking and compensation costs. Kenya Airways, which accounts for a major share of daily traffic, had to reorganize routes and accommodate stranded passengers. Domestic carriers like Jambojet also experienced crowding and ticketing pressure, with airfares on routes such as Nairobi–Kisumu and Nairobi–Mombasa reportedly spiking by over 30 percent.

Aviation analyst Ahmed Hashi noted that the timing was especially challenging. “This was a peak travel period for both local and international passengers,” he said. “Flight diversions or delays translate to additional parking, fuel, and staffing costs, and passengers lose money in missed connections, hotel bookings, and meetings.”

Beyond direct airline losses, there’s reputational damage. JKIA, often described as East Africa’s aviation hub, relies on reliability to compete with Addis Ababa and Kigali. Unplanned closures can shake that confidence among global carriers.

Cargo and Export Losses, Time Equals Money

Perhaps the heaviest blow landed on Kenya’s export sector. JKIA handles roughly 350,000 tonnes of cargo annually, much of it perishable goods such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables bound for Europe and the Middle East.

A delay of even a few hours can mean entire shipments lose market value.

According to the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK), perishable goods worth millions were caught in the disruption.

“For exporters, timing is everything,” said FPEAK chairperson Grace Wanjohi.

“When flights are grounded, produce starts to spoil, and clients abroad cancel orders. You can’t recover that loss.”

The flower industry, which contributes over KSh 120 billion annually to Kenya’s economy, depends on seamless logistics through JKIA.

Freight forwarders reported having to reroute shipments through Eldoret International Airport and Entebbe, Uganda, costly alternatives that strain regional cargo networks.

Ground Traffic, Retail, and Lost Productivity

While the aviation numbers are striking, the economic impact on the ground was equally visible.

The closure led to gridlock on Mombasa Road, Thika Road, and Southern Bypass, spilling into the Nairobi Central Business District.

Public transport was paralyzed for hours as thousands of Kenyans either tried to reach the airport or got stuck on jammed routes.

Small businesses and retailers along those routes lost a day’s income. Hotel and restaurant operators near the airport reported mass booking cancellations as customers failed to arrive. Taxi drivers and delivery services, from ride-hailing apps to boda bodas, saw sharp declines in earnings.

Nairobi-based economist Dr. Linda Barasa estimated that the wider business slowdown could easily add KSh 100–150 million in lost urban productivity.

“You have to count idle man-hours, fuel wasted in traffic, and business transactions that simply didn’t happen,” she explained.

“Even service industries like banking and logistics experience slowdowns when the transport network collapses.”

Tourism, Image, and Investor Confidence

The timing of the incident couldn’t have been worse for Kenya’s tourism sector, which has been rebuilding after years of global travel disruptions. JKIA serves as the main gateway for leisure travellers.

Cancellations, diversions, and public images of crowds breaching airport security can dent confidence among investors and tourists alike.

“Airports are not just infrastructure, they are symbols of national stability,” said Peter Njoroge, a logistics consultant and former Kenya Airways official.

“If people see chaos at your entry point, they start questioning the broader safety and efficiency of your country.”

A Lesson in Preparedness and Public Order

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has since restored operations and issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) confirming security normalization.

In its press release, KCAA Director General Emile N. Arao apologized for the inconvenience but maintained that safety came first.

Analysts agree that the disruption highlights the need for stronger crowd management and emergency coordination between the KCAA, KAA, police, and national events teams, especially during high-profile occasions. “Kenya must balance national emotion with economic continuity,” said Dr. Barasa. “Mourning a statesman shouldn’t paralyze the arteries of the economy.”

Counting the Cost

When all is tallied, from lost airport and customs revenue to grounded flights, spoiled exports, and stalled urban business, the financial impact of October 16 could easily exceed KSh 400–500 million. That’s roughly USD 3–3.5 million, lost or deferred in less than 24 hours.

Yet beyond the numbers, the closure underscores the fragility of a system where a single event can stall multiple sectors of the economy at once. Kenya’s air transport, like its politics, remains deeply interconnected with the nation’s collective pulse.

Bottom Line

The day Raila Odinga’s body returned home will be remembered for its emotional weight, but also for the economic tremors it caused.

For Kenya’s aviation, export, and retail sectors, it was a day when grief met the realities of commerce.

And while the closure lasted only hours, it offered a clear lesson for policymakers: in moments of national significance, planning for both emotion and economics is not optional, it’s essential.