State plans airstrips for all 47 counties

By WAINAINA NDUNG’U

The Government plans to construct airstrips in all the 47 counties in the country, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has said.

KAA Managing Director Eng Stephen Gichuki said the State was keen on constructing more airstrips to ease transportation of passengers and cargo and help realise Vision 2030.

According to Gichuki, the Government will start by constructing airstrips in  Murang’a and Nakuru Counties in the first phase.

 This will also see further expansion of an airstrip in Nyeri town.

bigger runnaway

Gichuki spoke at the recently completed a 1.3 kilometre asphalt runway at Nyaribo Airstrip, Nyeri County.

Currently sitting on 190 acres, the airstrip is to be expanded to have a three-kilometre runway on acquisition of a further 200 acres from the neighbouring community.

According to the KAA, the Sh800 million runway expansion at Nyaribo will take it to the status of an international airport capable of accommodating bigger planes.

Such planes, he said can fly in most African and Middle East destinations. “The higher the attitude, the longer the runaway required to accommodate bigger planes.” he said.

“This airport will still be smaller than the recently opened Kisumu International Airport with a runway of 3.3 km, Eldoret International with a 3.4 km and Moi International Airport at Mombasa (2.9 km).”

 Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has a 4.1 kkm runway.

Still to be put up at Nyaribo Airstrip is the new passenger terminal and a secure perimeter fencing. These will enhance  aviation security and to keep squatters out of the land set aside for the airfield.

“This airstrip serves a hinterland of immense agricultural potential and it can go a long the way in promoting exports of fruits, fresh produce and cut flowers,” said the KAA boss. The airports boss  also held a fact-finding meeting with area residents and the Nyeri County government led by Governor Nderitu Gachagua.

Pledging to ensure the residents were paid market rates for their land that is to be annexed to expand the airstrip, Gachagua said his County Government will demand to share with the KAA any revenue realised from the airport.

According to Engineer Raphael Mukui of the KAA, officials at the Nyeri Lands office will superimpose the Authority’s plan on their physical map of the area.

This, he said will help ascertain the residents to be bought off.

land compensation

Residents such as John Muthee Kingori who brought land in the area in 1958 and has several plots in the land earmarked for airport expansion signalled an intention to dig in for compensation.

Kingori whose nine acre farm is also on the stretch earmarked for runway extension said they will demand more than a Sh1 million an acre or Sh500,000 for an half an acre plot. 

Besides the land required for runway extension, more is needed for terminal buildings, hangars and an approach path for landing airplanes.

Gichuki said the plan to build an international airport near Thika was being explored against another one proposed for Konza City.

Aeronautical planners had initially proposed the construction of Thika International Airport saying the area was easily accessible after the construction of the superhighway.

But KAA chief said with the building of a technology city at Konza, the proposal was now not being reexamined. 

“ A technical team did the initial surveys and knows the ideal location for Thika International. That is however now being explored against the airport planned in Konza city,” said Gichuki.

Meanwhile, KAA has launched a new Identity Management Security System that will ensure security is heightened at all airports . It will also improve customer experience.

“Managing access throughout our airports is critical not only for operational reasons but also for security in general,” said Gichuki.

share information

The new system is networked to other airports enabling security officers to share vital records between the head office and the other airports in Kenya.

 This means that if an applicant at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is banned or blocked from getting a pass to access the facility for one reason or the other, the person cannot get a pass in any of the other networked airports