Business structures outside the busy Moi International Airport in Mombasa have been demolished as the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) moves to clear space near he light path.
The Tuesday exercise that was overseen by the police and KAA officials saw a church flattened at Kwa Jomvu as property worth millions of shillings was brought down.
Among properties demolished include a Container Freight Stations and a perimeter wall belonging to Great Lakes Port Limited, both owned by a prominent Mombasa tycoon.
Also flattened during the exercise were food kiosks as well as open air garages.
Mombasa County Police boss Johnston Ipara said properties targeted are those located along the flight path. The structures, he said, were a danger to plane landing and taking off.
KAA rules prohibit the erection of structures near the airport for security reasons.
"We are here to do our work. We are not supposed to talk to anyone," a KAA official at the scene who briefly spoke to journalists said.
"If you have any issues just go to the deputy commissioner’s office. He represents the government and this activity is being carried by the government."
Affected traders, however, accuse the government of conducting the exercise without issuing any notice.
"I wonder why they had to do this without considering the losses we will incur," one affected trader Khalid Omar told Business Daily.