Senators want Isiolo airport completed to open up region

Senators have called on the government to prioritise the Sh4.8 billion refurbishment of the Isiolo International Airport.

The House took Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to task over the airport, which was meant to unlock the economic potential of the upper eastern, northern, and central regions and yet it is not operational despite gobbling millions of shillings.

The airport is part of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor, a large-scale infrastructure project that aims to connect Kenya, South Sudan, and Ethiopia through a port, railways, roads, and pipelines.

“Isiolo Airport is experiencing significant runway defects due to flooding caused by terrain challenges and expansive black cotton soils, which have led to low pavement classification, limiting aircraft that can operate safely,” said Chirchir.

He said timely repairs were crucial to enhance safety, expand operational capacity, reduce long-term costs and attract more users.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Ruto's multibillion-shilling renovations amid scarcity spark outrage
• 
  Desparate wait for travellers as CS holds talks to end JKIA strike

“Isiolo International Airport that sits on the Lapsset Corridor and once complete it will open up the whole corridor to serve South Sudan, Ethiopia and parts of Northern Uganda, that is why we are attaching a lot of significance towards this crucial project,” said Chirchir.

Kathuri Murungi (Meru) said the Sh4.8 billion allocated for the expansion of the airport was too little, with the expansion of the runway costing Sh1.5 billion.

“The runway extension will cost Sh1.5billion, fire station to support the existing infrastructure Sh300 million, completion of airport perimeter fencing Sh150 million, field lighting Sh250 million and air traffic control tower Sh300 million,” said Chirchir.

The CS said improvement of drainage around the airport would cost Sh300 million while land acquisition for VIP lounge and car parks, hangers and road expansion is expected to cost the taxpayers Sh500 million.

He said a number of projects had been planned to make the airport fully functional. Chirchir said the project would ease transport for perishable goods like miraa, flowers, vegetables and meat from the pastoralist communities in the regions.

The airport sits on about 800 acres of land across Isiolo and Meru counties, with major construction works having started in 2011.

Chirchir added that the government was planning to improve the Eldoret International Airport from a 3.5-km runway to 4km to accommodate bigger flights.

“There are plans to improve the Eldoret International Airport, it is just that there is a small dispute to be resolved to allow us to extend the runway from 3.5km to 4km. A lot of work has to be done,” he said.