Kenyans and members of the public with a keen interest in the aviation industry were left puzzled on Monday after Kenya's airspace, especially around the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), remained closed with no indication of landings and takeoffs for commercial planes.
According to information analysed by Kenyans.co.ke on the flight radar, the Kenyan airspace remained with minimal activity, with only planes belonging to the military visible on the system.
We have since established that the closure was due to an ongoing military exercise by the Kenya Air Force.
Officials from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that, indeed, there was a closure which lasted from 11am to 12.35pm due to the military exercise as part of the planning ahead of the Jamhuri Day celebrations, which will be held on December 12.
The celebrations were slated to be organised in Nairobi, with preliminary reports indicating that the government was considering the Talanta Stadium along the bustling Ngong Road, within the Jamhuri Sports Grounds, near the Telekom area.
According to KCAA, usually, a NOTAM notice is issued to flights ahead of such an important exercise so that they do not fly into the airspace during such times.
NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, is an official notice providing essential, timely information to pilots and other aviation personnel about potential hazards or changes affecting flight safety.
It alerts them to abnormal conditions such as runway closures, navigation equipment outages, temporary flight restrictions, or hazards like construction cranes and bird flocks that could impact flight operations.
Another Closure
KCAA indicated that additional closures have been scheduled, with similar exercises planned for Friday, December 5, from 9:30am to 11:40am, and again on December 12 within the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, our tracking on the flight radar, together with other open-source intelligence (OSINT) data, showed real-time military flight activity over Nairobi, Kenya, with aircraft primarily operated by the Kenya Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Special Operations.
Some of the planes identified included both rotary-wing (helicopters) and fixed-wing aircraft from Kenya and the U.S., flying at varied altitudes of between 5,700 and 7,750 feet.
In particular, the Kenya Air Force had multiple aircraft in the sky, such as the Agusta-Bell 206 JetRanger, a light helicopter often used for reconnaissance, liaison, or training missions. This rotary-wing aircraft was observed operating at around 5,700 feet, suggesting it may have been conducting low-altitude observation or escort duties.
Complementing this was the De Havilland Dash 8 (registered KAF306), a versatile fixed-wing aircraft that can be configured for surveillance, personnel transport, or logistical support, maintaining an altitude of 7,300 feet.
Also notable was the presence of a Leonardo C-27J Spartan, a tactical military transport aircraft capable of rapid response operations and cargo drops in austere environments. Operating at 7,750 feet, this aircraft's activity may indicate high-priority logistical movement or airborne coordination.
Meanwhile, a PZL M-28 Skytruck operated by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations was also in the mix, flying at 6,775 feet, highlighting ongoing bilateral military cooperation or intelligence-gathering missions in Kenyan airspace.
Our attempts to reach out to sources at the military for a comment on why there were U.S. military planes bore little fruit, with a source saying that the mission was classified.
