Most flights on the Western Kenya routes were fully booked Monday while the cost of a few available seats nearly doubled ahead of Tuesday’s poll.
The airlines flying to Kisumu and Eldoret from Nairobi witnessed increased traffic as people headed to their rural homes to vote. Fly 540 has no seats available on the Eldoret route on Tuesday while Jambojet fares on the Kisumu route rose to Sh14,000.
Fares rarely go beyond Sh10,000 on the Nairobi-Kisumu route.
Jambojet had seats on the Eldoret route, but raised fares to Sh10,000, up from a range of between Sh3,200 and Sh6,000 depending on traffic and advance booking period. The route normally attracts lower rates than any other destination in the country given low demand.
Skyward is charging between Sh6,000 and Sh7, 000 on the Eldoret route with Mombasa going for between Sh6,500 and Sh8,000. The Eldoret route would normally attract Sh5,500. Fares on the Nairobi-Mombasa route saw little change, suggesting subdued traffic.
The last days to the election have been characterised by an exodus to upcountry homes, with some people citing fears of possible chaos as was the case in 2007.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
