This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
After years of delay, the long-awaited upgrade of Lanet military airstrip into an International Public airport is set to begin in the next two months. The construction work bids were closed this week.
Nakuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui said the airport will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase costing Sh400 million. This phase will involve rehabilitation of the runway, construction of taxiways and terminals, a military lounge, an air rescue centre, and a fire fighting building.
The second phase will entail expanding the runway from 1.7km to 3.6km. The airport will be used by civilian aircraft, and its upgrade will also include the construction of military and civilian gates, a power substation, and a patrol road.
Once complete, the new airport will allow bigger cargo and passenger planes of approximately 40 to 100 tonnes. Governor Kinyanjui said Nakuru, a tourism and horticultural hub, was lagging behind due to lack of an airport.
“Flower farmers in Naivasha will have a chance to exploit the huge market available by increasing their exports to Europe and the United States. Nakuru is a very critical area in the aviation industry thus the need for an airport,” Kinyanjui said.
The airport will also make it easier for the county to receive hordes of international tourists. Governor Kinyanjui said the airport and the planned industrial park in Naivasha will be some of the crucial facilities that will come in handy in wooing investors to the county.
The project was first conceived in 2004 but has not been realized more than 15 years later. The government had allocated Sh250 million for the preparatory work of the construction in the 2011/2012 fiscal year.
