The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has announced plans to commence refurbishment works on the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
KAA Acting Managing Director Henry Ogoye says the face-lift will begin in the current financial year.
The announcement comes after a video emerged online of a leaking roof at the airport’s check-in section following heavy rains that continue to pound various parts of the country.
“The Government has commenced the process of addressing infrastructure development of the facility covering expansion of passenger terminal, runway capacity and provision of additional aircraft parking bays beginning this financial year 2023/2024,” said Ogoye.
According to Ogoye, JKIA has suffered inadequate facility and infrastructure capacity upgrade in the last decade, to the extent even temporary interventions became permanent solutions and hence the current state of affairs in service disruptions.
The state of the regional aviation hub has been a subject of discussion following a series of blackouts that have disrupted its operations.
On Tuesday during a tour of Diani Airport, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government also plans to build a new terminal at JKIA besides the planned repairs.
“Regarding the recent power outage that took between eight and 20 minutes to resolve, the contractor is working to ensure an immediate changeover to the standby generator whenever there is a blackout,” Murkomen said via his official X handle.
