The rehabilitation of the Nanyuki Airstrip in Laikipia County is in top gear with the completion of a 1.5km runway and two aprons expected in October this year. Works at the busy airstrip had stalled after the contractor who had initially been awarded the contract was unable to deliver forcing the Government to award the tender to another contractor.
The Nanyuki Airstrip is currently undergoing rehabilitation to enable it accommodate bigger planes with a carrying capacity of up to 52 passengers. Currently, the airstrip can only accommodate planes with a capacity of 14 passengers.
The US $2.7m upgrade will be expected to improve tourism and trade in the region. The Airstrip is expected to rival Wilson and Ukunda Airports in terms of domestic flights since Laikipia County is a major tourist destination.
According to David Kyule, Nanyuki Airstrip Manager, engineers in the Airstrip have assembled four planes so far including an Airbus helicopter owned by Tropic Air.
Kenya Airports Authority
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is an autonomous body established in 1991 through an Act of Parliament and is charged with an umbrella responsibility of providing and managing a coordinated system of airports in Kenya.
KAA manages 4 International airports, 4 domestic airports and several airstrips. The main
airports managed by KAA are: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Moi International
Airport (MIA), Eldoret International Airport (EIA) and Kisumu International Airport (KIA).
All the airports handled a total of 8 million passengers in the year 2012 with JKIA, the flagship currently handling 6 million passengers per annum. JKIA which directly contributes about 10.9% of GDP is currently undergoing expansion and rehabilitation that will see it handle 7.5 million passengers by end 2015.
