As I advance in years and can no longer be immediately productive after being battered by a road trip of 12 to 24 hours, I start asking why a 45-minute hop from Entebbe to Nairobi should cost $400 in economy class, same as Entebbe to Dubai, which is ten times longer. So what exactly are we paying for?
We are paying for the mirage of economic integration under the East African Community that has been under re-construction for a quarter of a century. Landing fees here, navigation charges there, VAT on top, airport tax on top of that top as each border adds its own little toll booth in the sky. That is the scandal of East African aviation in three Ps: Paperwork, Pettiness, Pride, not Distance, Demand nor Dignity.
