Gov’t to begin JKIA expansion before end of the year

The plan to upgrade and improve the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is on course, 229 days since President William Ruto announced the cancellation of the Adani airport deal.

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir says that the government intends to break ground before the end of the calendar year.

“In furtherance of principles enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution, on transparency and accountability, and based on new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations, I therefore direct the cancellation of the ongoing procurement process, for the JKIA-Adani airport deal, as well as the recently concluded Ketraco deal,” President Ruto said on November 21, 2024.

The cancellation paved the way for the Ministry of Transport to explore alternate financial solutions for funding the capital-intensive project.

The government has been in talks with different development financial institutions, including the European Investment Bank, KfW, the French Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and China Exim Bank, and is waiting for feedback on how to fund the redevelopment of JKIA using the airport's balance sheet.

“We are really conscious about this. Remember our airport got burnt and is on a tent, and so we are really conscious and we are working round the clock to see that on a very tight timeline whether we can break ground before the end of this year,” said CS Chirchir.

This, the government argues, will in turn attract more airlines into the Kenyan capital, making it easier for the national carrier to forge partnerships, noting that the call for the government to intervene to curb capacity dumping through policy would only hurt Kenya.

 “It doesn’t help us as a tourism destination to deny frequencies into Nairobi because when you look at the revenue mix from tourism to imports and exports — more importantly to exports — we are one of the fourth-largest producers of flowers today,” noted the CS.

Aviation and Aerospace Development PS Terry Mbaika added, “We challenge the national carrier to continue to reinvest in its business model, make the best of its positioning on key routes, and consider partnerships that will contribute to the overall business.”

According to its performance in 2024, JKIA saw a surge in passenger numbers, which grew by 6.6 per cent to 8.75 million, above its 7.5 million capacity.

While strong revenue and a solid asset base offer funding opportunities, the airport will have to contend with its ageing infrastructure and a single runway, which could stall progress.