The Government, following a cabinet meeting, has announced an overhaul at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) ahead of two international events.
These events include the Blue invest Africa Forum scheduled for July 2024 and the World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO) in August 2024.
In a despatch, the cabinet noted that hosting these two events would further advance the realization of the country’s foreign policy objectives.
“The hosting of these two conferences further advances the realization of our nation’s foreign policy objectives with climate change adaptation and the health of oceans and seas (blue economy) as key cornerstones of our diplomacy,” reads the despatch in part.
The upgrade, which is part of a government investment plan, includes the enhancement of passenger terminal, runway, taxiway, apron, and airside facilities in a bid to keep with the global aviation trends.
Also, this overhaul aims to strengthen the linkages between tourism and aviation, further cementing Nairobi’s position as an aviation hub.
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National Aviation Policy
In line with this objective, the National Aviation Policy was also approved to enhance connectivity at both national and international levels, maximizing the contribution of the aviation sector to Kenya’s growth.
Additionally, the policy seeks to enhance the capacity of Kenya’s international airports to meet existing and projected demand.
“Cabinet noted the aviation ecosystem in Kenya is robust, but pointed out that it was imperative to enhance the capacity of Kenya’s international airports to meet existing and projected demand which is estimated to rise to 42.1 million passengers a year by 2050,” reads the despatch.
Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
Moreover, Cabinet noted that the government’s efforts to open up the country to the world have been successful, with the introduction of Visa-Free entry under the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) framework boosting tourism and international conferences.
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“Building on this new paradigm, Kenya continues to showcase herself as a premier destination for international conferences, particularly in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) sector.”
Due to this, Kenya has hosted 50 Heads of State and Government, along with a record number of delegates, in the past year.
Problems at JKIA
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has long faced criticism over issues such as leaking roofs, inadequate drainage, and lack of shelter, which have been particularly problematic during the onslaught of heavy rainfall in early March.
The situation worsened recently when a viral video shared by CNN correspondent Larry Madowo exposed another instance of a leaking roof at Terminal 1C, forcing the terminal to halt operations.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen attributed the leaking roof to poor workmanship by contractors and engineers who carried out temporary renovations in the previous government without meeting the required standards.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) acknowledged the infrastructure challenges at JKIA, citing inadequate facility and infrastructure capacity upgrades in the last 10 years.
However, with the cabinet approvals the government has commenced the process of addressing infrastructure development at the airport.
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