Kakamega traders decry loss of jobs over closer of airstrip

Kakamega traders and residents living around the Kakamega airstrip have expressed fears of massive job losses following the decision by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to suspend flights to the airstrip.

This comes barely two weeks after Skyward Express suspended flights in and out of Kakamega Airstrip over what they termed the poor state of the runway.

On September 28, 2024, Skyward Express suspended flights in and out of Kakamega Airstrip due to the deteriorating condition of the runway stating that the runway no longer meets safety standards.

Residents are now accusing KAA of failing to upgrade the infrastructural problems facing the airstrip stating that the airstrip has been their source of income and the suspension of flights.

“I am a boda boda operator and I have been carrying passengers who have been heading to the airstrip to catch a flight but since the operations in the airstrip were suspended, I am struggling to make ends meet," says David Ambunya, a boda boda operator.

Furthermore, traders say the last week has been hell for them, stating that the once busy place has since become a deserted place with no activities going on.

Vegetable vendors are the most affected traders stating that the airstrip used to save their vegetables from going bad since they are highly perishable commodities.

“I had ventured fully in vegetable farming because besides selling the commodities to customers traveling in and out of Kakamega, I was also selling the items to some hotels in Nairobi where the demand is high.”

Last week, Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa called on the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to quickly step in and upgrade the infrastructural problems facing Kakamega Airstrip.

“I am appealing to our able Transport CS Davis Chirchir, through the Kenya Airports Authority to take very quick action because that runway and other airport business are under the Authority,” Barasa said.

Barasa said the airstrip was contributing to the economic growth of the county.

He further noted that since its operationalisation, the airport has been an important source of business and revenue through tourism for the residents and Kakamega County at large.

“We can’t continue having flights suspended because residents depend on it for transport and business. The concerned Authority should make a quick decision to correct the concerns so that we can have all the affected activities restored,” he said.

The governor said there is a need and room for expanding the airstrip to a full airport capable of serving the Western region.

The suspension comes barely two years after the airline opened a new path for flight base for travelers in the Western region, booming local transport and business for the region that depended more on the Kisumu and Eldoret International Airports.

Travellers from the Western region have been using the Kakamega-Nairobi flight route at a cost of Sh6,000 since it began functioning two years ago and the flights depart from Wilson Airport to Kakamega at 10 am and depart to Nairobi at 11.05 am.

Besides Kakamega, the Skyward Airline serves the Kitale, Mombasa, Lamu, Eldoret, Lodwar, Diani, and Malindi routes from Wilson Airport.

The airstrip underwent rehabilitation works at a cost of Sh174.7 million, project undertaken by Kenya Airports Authority.

Following the rehabilitation works, the airstrip’s pavements could now accommodate Code C aircraft - Q300, Fokker 50 and CRJ in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.