Sometimes wishes are horses and beggars ride. At least the life experience of James Gitahi appears to suggest so.
As a child growing up in Kitale not far from the airstrip, his pastime was going to the fence of the installation to admire the planes.
Their home was just 10km a way from the airstrip.
“One day I wish to fly one,” he would tell himself, ignoring the reality of abject poverty in which his family wallowed.
Gitahi would write letters to some of the aviation companies telling them about his love for aviation and his ambition to fly a plane.
He would ask what it would take for him to meet his dream.
It was all in vain as none of the companies wrote back to him.
Gradually, Gitahi shifted his ambition and joined a seminary intending to become a Catholic priest.
“I was in a seminary studying to be a priest as the aviation dream was not coming true,” he said.
He proceeded to the A Level and dropped his his yearning for priestly robes.
In 1979, Gitahi was hired by the Ministry of Labour and posted in Lodwar.
Newspapers took three days to reach the remote North.
Perusing a newspaper that was about four days old, Gitahi saw an advert by the Kenya Air Force announcing recruitment of cadets.
His aviation dream swung back.
“I said wow, the chance has come. I did not tell anybody and carried nothing but the newspaper, and boarded a lorry in the night en route to Kitale,” he said.
On arrival, the man did not even go home. He headed straight to Eldoret where the recruitment was taking place.
After the usual drama of military recruitment -physical exam, stripping and running -Gitahi was lucky. He got it.
“What I remember is that I had a lot of blisters in my legs after that and I was going through a lot of pain,” he said.
He reported to Moi Airbase Eastleigh for a rigorous interview, which he passed.
Gitahi underwent basic military training at Lanet in Nakuru for six weeks and later trained as an airman.
His childhood dream of being a pilot was becoming true.
He served in the military for 32 years, retiring in 2010 at the rank of a colonel.
In the Air Force, Col Gitahi flew presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki and the presidents of Burundi and Bangladesh.
Other than heads of states he flew uncountable VIPS including vice presidents and ministers.
Gitahi was one of the pilots who went to bring Kenya's presidential jet from Holland in early 2000s.
“Kenya was the first to acquire that model in Africa for presidential transportation and I was among the pilots who flew it home,” the 65-year-old reminisces with pride.
The following year after retiring, Gitahi switched from a fighter pilot to a civilian one, landing a job at Blue Bird Aviation.
The man spent 12 years flying commercially. He touched down for the last time on Friday in a grand ceremony where he was feted by his colleagues.
His family led by wife nominated Senator Betty Montet gathered to enjoy his last flight.
At about 3:11pm, the plane he was captaining lifted off and remained airborne for over 40 minutes before conducting a low fly past at the airport.
When he touched down, the plane was given the last salute with a fire engine splashing water over it, a gesture of respect in aviation.
“I have been in the air for 44 years and I’m happy to retire and go be with my family. It has been an incredible run. I would do it again, if I had the chance of choosing being a pilot,” Gitahi said.
