According to Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, the government is in the process of upgrading Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 9, before the Senate, the CS said that the expansion of the two airports will be fundamental to increasing their capacity to host more airlines and passengers.
According to the CS, the government is currently expanding Moi International Airport's runway and facilities, such as lounges, to accommodate the two additional airlines, Qatar and Turkish Airlines, that have been granted permission to operate at the airport.
The elevation of the airport and its facilities, according to the CS, will offer a conducive environment for the expected increase in the number of passengers visiting the tourism-rich region.
"Given the two additional airlines that are going to be landing at the airport, we will have to uplift the airport. We are working on the runway; also, there are some underground streams and pavements that we are working on; also, there are private and dignitary launches that have been set up," he said.
"These facilities will be important to offer the customer service that will match the guests that we will receive. But even as we do that, we are very cautious in managing frequencies with our counterpart airlines so that we may get commensurate frequencies on our national carrier," he added.
On the other hand, the CS assured that the government still has plans to expand the Eldoret International Airport's runway from 3.5 kilometers to 4 kilometers. However, the CS has noted that the plans have yet to materialise because there is a pending land dispute that is hindering the expansion of the runway.
According to the CS, the expansion of the airport will also enable it to host larger airlines and improve business in the agriculture-rich Rift Valley.
"There is a dispute that is hindering us from extending the length of the runway, but a lot of work is being done to ensure that it is being resolved," he said.
The CS has, however, assured that he will issue a detailed report on the parties that will be responsible for the expansion of the airports.
"Allow me to bring a substantive answer to this issue because I know we want the names of the engineers and what universities they went to," he said.
This comes a month after the Kenya Airports Authority(KAA) also revealed plans to expand the Malindi International Airport to elevate its standards.
