Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced that the government will start the construction of a new airport in 2026.
Speaking on Tuesday, December 2, Kindiki said the decision was informed by the need for a modern airport.
The Deputy President mentioned that the construction works of the new airport will commence in two months’ time.
“You can build roads, connect people with electricity, and build airports like we want to do because we have realised we are doing well in many things, but we don’t have a good airport.
“In the next two months, we are starting to build a modern airport because the one that exists was built by our forefathers,” said Kindiki.
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The Deputy President, however, did not disclose where the new modern airport will be located.
Kindiki’s announcement comes weeks after President William Ruto said the country needs a new airport.
Speaking in Qatar on November 5, President Ruto said the current condition of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is unacceptable.
“We need to build a new airport, let’s stop nonsense. We need to build a new airport, friends, honestly. What do we have at JKIA, canvas on the runway? People are saying that I want to sell the airport; sell it for what purpose?” he posed.
The latest plan to build a new airport comes after the Adani deal to modernise JKIA failed in 2024.
President Ruto ordered the cancellation of the Adani-JKIA expansion deal as well as the Adani-Ketraco deal after Gautam Adani was charged in the US for fraud, amidst bribery allegations in India.
“I now direct in furtherance of the principles enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution on transparency and accountability, and based on new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations - that the procuring agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA Expansion Public Private Partnership transaction, as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission line Public Private Partnership contract," Ruto directed.
The Adani-JKIA deal included the construction of a new terminal and the upgrading of JKIA under a concession model.
