The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has announced that it will be closing its second terminal to facilitate the arrival of Jill Biden, the United States’ First Lady.
In a statement issued on Wednesday from the airport manager Abel Gogo, the directive has been given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with security agencies.
The directive, therefore, will see Terminal 2 being cleared of any aircraft and vehicles on Friday, February 24, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
All operations shall likewise be frozen at the same terminal on Sunday 26 from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Airport staff has been advised to relocate their operations to Terminal 1 before the stipulated time period to allow a seamless operation ahead of the expected arrival of the First Lady Of the United States (FLOTUS).
First Lady Biden announced on Tuesday that she will be making her sixth visit to Africa – third to Kenya and the first as the FLOTUS.
In her announcement, her trip is set to begin in Namibia and thereafter head to Kenya where she will be holding talks on the drought situation curbing the nation among other things.
“I will hear from those affected by the ongoing historic drought and food insecurity, which has been exacerbated by the ripple effects of Russia’s assault on Ukraine,” she said on Twitter.
She will also meet with the first ladies of each country and engage with organizations that work on youth engagement and women’s empowerment, including issues relating to gender-based violence.
“I’ve always believed that supporting women and youth across the world is critical to our common future, with education, health, and empowerment at the heart of it all,” she stated.
The purpose of her trip is to reaffirm the US government’s investments in Africa, not just in their governments, but in their people and to continue her work to empower women and young people, as revealed by a senior administration official previewing the trip.
Her visit comes ahead of expected visits by her husband President Joe Biden and other senior administration officials later this year.
Biden visited Africa five times as second lady, including a 2011 stop at the largest refugee camp in Kenya as thousands fled Somalia. This will mark her third trip ever to Kenya and first to Namibia, making her the most senior US official to travel to the country since then-Vice President Al Gore visited in 1996.
