Ruto Sets Timeline for New Airport Construction

Jukwaa

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

According to the President, funding for the project is already available, although the government has not publicly detailed the source of the funds.

“We tried building a new airport, and people revolted. The current airport has a canvas on the tarmac, and we are getting a lot of shame,” Ruto told leaders from Marsabit County during a meeting at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, June 12.

“I want to assure you that the construction of a new airport will begin in July. And we have the money for the construction,” he added.

📌 What You Need to Know

The announcement came a day after details emerged that the government had awarded a contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of a modernised JKIA to state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).

The project will be executed through China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the regional subsidiary of CCCC that previously delivered the Standard Gauge Railway and the Nairobi Expressway.

The contract, valued at approximately Ksh375.4 billion ($2.9 billion), is expected to transform JKIA into a larger aviation hub capable of handling significantly higher passenger traffic over the coming decades.

According to Kenya Airports Authority data, JKIA handled approximately 8.93 million passengers in 2025, surpassing its original design capacity of about 7.5 million passengers annually.

Under the government's updated aviation master plan, passenger numbers are projected to exceed 13 million annually by 2030 before rising further to 22.31 million by 2045.

A key feature of the expansion is the construction of a 230,000-square-metre passenger terminal designed to accommodate an additional 10 million travellers annually while digitising check-in, immigration and security systems.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke

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