The number of international visitors arriving in Kenya through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) declined significantly in March 2026, according to the latest data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The report, Leading Economic Indicators: March 2026 , released on Friday, May 29, shows that visitor arrivals through JKIA declined from 141,582 in February to 123,682 in March, a drop of 17,900 travellers in just one month.

Overall, visitor arrivals through JKIA, Moi International Airport (MIA), and other border entry points also declined from 216,738 in February to 193,176 in March.

KNBS data further indicates that the total number of passengers departing through JKIA dropped from 242,679 in February to 231,598 in March.

📌 What You Need to Know

Passenger arrivals at the country's largest airport also registered a slight decline, falling from 228,826 in February to 227,974 in March.

The slowdown comes even as the government prepares to undertake major expansion works at JKIA under the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF).

President William Ruto recently announced plans to channel billions of shillings into the fund to finance large-scale infrastructure projects, including the construction of new facilities and a runway at JKIA.

According to the President, tenders for the airport upgrades have already been issued, with construction expected to commence in June.

While air passenger traffic declined, rail transport recorded mixed performance during the same period.

Passenger traffic on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) increased from 185,278 passengers in February to 193,953 in March, although passenger revenue remained largely unchanged at about Ksh347.7 million.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke