This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has awarded a KSh221 million tender to ASAL Engineering and Consult Company to upgrade the Kitale airstrip, a project expected to boost local travel demand.
According to KAA, the construction will take ten months and be carried out in two phases. The first phase will involve building a standard runway, while the second phase will entail the construction of an administration block hosting a VIP lounge.
"The construction, according to the contractual document, is to take 18 months but we will take ten months to ensure that the airstrip returns to its normal activities as soon as possible," KAA Regional Manager, Walter Agong, said on Friday, June 5, 2020.
Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa has confirmed that the Kitale airstrip facelift will help boost economic activity in Western, improving both transport and business sectors.
As part of its countrywide airport upgrade project, KAA had pledged to invest in airport facelifts to improve aviation. The agency had set apart KSh1.2 billion for renovations of several airports and airstrips, but was in the spotlight for failing to implement the projects, returning the amount to the Exchequer.
