A little-known land detail at Kenya’s main airport once raised concern among lawmakers after it emerged that a private company owns a title deed for part of the property.
The company, Nairobi Airport Services, commonly known as NAS, holds land within Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a matter that previously attracted the attention of a parliamentary committee. The revelation sparked questions about how private entities came to own land inside a key national facility.
NAS operates within Kenya’s main airports, offering catering services to both local and international airlines. Every day, the company prepares and supplies meals and related services to aircraft departing and arriving in the country. Its presence at the airport has made it one of the most visible private players in aviation support services.
The company’s story goes back many decades. It was founded in 1949 by Robert Gabriel Seaman as a small sandwich delivery business. At the time, it served aircraft operating from a military airstrip in Nairobi. When Jomo Kenyatta International Airport officially opened in 1958, the business expanded alongside the growing aviation sector. Over time, it developed into NAS Airport Services Ltd and became a major provider of airline catering in the region.
As the aviation industry became more global, NAS attracted foreign investors. It was acquired by Servair of France and later by Switzerland-based Gategroup. Under this structure, it operated as NAS Servair. Gategroup, founded in 1992, grew into one of the world’s largest airline catering companies, serving millions of passengers across different continents.
Ownership changes continued in recent years. In 2019, RRJ Capital became the sole shareholder of Gategroup. The private equity firm is led by Malaysian businessman Richard Ong, who serves as its chairman and chief executive officer. Through RRJ Capital’s control of Gategroup, Ong is indirectly linked to NAS, the company that holds land within JKIA.
The matter of land ownership at such a strategic public facility remains significant, especially whenever questions of transparency and public interest arise.