Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced that the government is set to construct a brand new airport at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as part of an ambitious plan to modernise Kenya's aviation infrastructure.
Speaking on Monday, December 8, Kindiki said the current JKIA facility is outdated and no longer aligned with the country's long-term air traffic projections.
"We are building a new airport at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport; the one we have is old," Kindiki stated.
The new airport is expected to significantly boost passenger numbers, with the government targeting an increase from the current 88 million annual passengers to at least 100 million, placing Kenya in competition with major global hubs such as Dubai International Airport.
"We aim to increase the number of people passing through JKIA from 88 million currently to 100 million, so that we can match the capacity of airports like Dubai International Airport," Kindiki asserted.
The DP noted that the project will be funded through a mix of public-private partnerships (PPP) and selective privatisation of some government-owned assets.
He emphasised that proceeds from privatisation will be channelled directly into development projects, including airports, roads, dams, and other infrastructure, rather than recurrent expenditures like salaries.
This announcement by Kindiki underscores President William Ruto's dream of making Kenya a first-world country from its current state as a third-world one.
The President has multiple times stated that the dream can be achieved before 2050, but Kenyans will need to sacrifice if they want to fulfil the dream.
He has on several occasions cited that for the dream to be fulfilled, the government needed to minimise borrowing and also not rely on the budget to fund bigger projects like roads, dams, and airport construction.
"The decision to proceed with the Public-private partnership (PPP) model is a strategy to break chains like debt burden, allowing the government to work smarter and in partnership with the private sector," Ruto stated while launching the construction of the Rironi - Mau Summit highway on Friday, November 28, 2025.
The announcement by Kindiki to build an airport is not the first attempt by the government to improve infrastructure at JKIA.
In March 2024, the government and Adani Airport Holdings Limited agreed on a privately initiated proposal (pip). Adani would expand the airport to a standard one and, in return, run the airport for a period not less than 30 years, under build-operate-transfer (BOT).
In September the same year, widespread public opposition grew, prompting the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) to file a court case against the deal. The high court in Nairobi issued orders halting the process to allow for legal review.
Due to unending unrest from the public, including mass protests on June 25, President William Ruto, on November 21, 2024, announced in a state of the nation address, the immediate cancellation of the proposed deal.
