The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has responded to widespread uproar over the state of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
In a statement on Wednesday, November 15, the Authority said that JKIA had been affected by inadequate facility and infrastructure for the last ten years- a trend that saw the then authorities resort to temporary interventions.
According to KAA, the inadequacy in infrastructure and other facilities exposed the airport to risks of service disruptions and left gaps as far as delivery of quality services is concerned.
However, KAA assured the public that plans to revamp the airport’s infrastructure were in top gear to achieve its set goals in the current financial year.
KAA Planning to expand runways, passenger terminal
Parts of the scheduled development works will cover the expansion of the passenger terminal, the runway capacity, and provision of additional aircraft parking bays.
Also Read: KAA Closes JKIA Runway, Suspends Flights
“Over the last 10 years, JKIA has suffered inadequate facility and infrastructure capacity upgrades to the extent that even temporary interventions became permanent solutions hence the current state of affairs in service disruptions,” the KAA statement read in part.
“The Board, Management, and Staff of Kenya Airports Authority are aligned with the concerns of the public and are implementing the Government’s civil aviation investment program to facilitate seamless, efficient, and effective service delivery.”
In the statement, the body mandated to manage Kenya airports acknowledged that it was privy to various concerns raised by Kenyans in the recent past.
Furthermore, KAA reiterated that aviation infrastructure is critical in ensuring reliable and quality service delivery in the airport.
The statement came on the back of backlash targeting senior government officials over the state of Kenya’s most crucial airport.
Also Read: It Wasn’t Me: Murkomen Responds to JKIA Leaking Roofs
Murkomen under pressure after JKIA embarasssment
The Airport’s management came under pressure with some Kenyans demanding answers and accountability over the leaking roofs and flooding witnessed in the airport.
Additionally, reports about interruptions caused by a nationwide blackout also came up despite an earlier promise to prevent such incidents in September.
In response to the criticism, Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen blamed the challenges at JKIA on the previous regime- suggesting that it failed to address infrastructural development gaps.
However, his response sparked yet another outrage- with some figures calling him out.
Nandi Senator Samson Cheragei said, “Lol to fix a leaking terminal roof in JKIA takes a whole year then kumbe our roads in Nandi County shall NOT be Fixed, this is the highest incompetence and lethargy of CS Murkomen who called me a fool a week ago.”