Man spends 13 months in airport

Sanjai L. Shah lived for more than a year in the Nairobi, Kenya airport hoping to get British citizenship. He succeeded yesterday.

It was June 1, 2004, when an immigration muddle landed Mr. Shah at the Nairobi airport, stateless and defiant. He pitched camp right outside the rather bleak arrivals hall and has not budged since.

Mr. Shah, 42, has been eating at airport cafes when he finishes off the Indian morsels delivered to him weekly by his wife, Rasmita, a Kenyan citizen. He washes himself in a business class lounge. He spends his days roaming, up one hallway, past the arrival gates, down another hallway, and back to his pile of luggage, stashed in an out-of-the-way corner near a visa counter.

"I know each and every shop," he said recently, strolling along a corridor lined with duty-free items. "I know each and every shopkeeper. I know the sweepers, the security officers, the immigration officers. Everyone."