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Land row delays expansion of Ukunda, Malindi airports
Part of Malindi Airport that borders residential estates close to the runway, making it difficult to upgrade the facility. PHOTO | FILE
Dispute over land earmarked for the expansion of Ukunda and Malindi airports has delayed the construction of the two facilities even as tourists begin to trickle to the country after a three-year slump.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has failed to reach agreement with residents on compensation for the land ceded for the two facilities.
More than 30,000 people living on the land meant for the expansion of Malindi Airport have vowed to stay put until KAA compensates them for the land and infrastructure investment that include a primary school.
“We are trying to resolve the issues in Malindi and Ukunda and we should be on stream to see those airports improve in tandem with the overall tourism strategy that we need to re-enforce,” says head of Presidential Delivery Unit Nzioka Waita.
Malindi and Ukunda airports are important to the local tourism industry as the two facilities serve air travellers to the coastal area. Currently only chartered planes are able to access the two airports.
Ukunda Airport in Kwale County, for instance, serves tourists visiting the South Coast. The expansion of the airstrip would ease access to the South Coast.
The alternative is use of ferries which are prone to sporadic breakdown. The upgrade of the airports is envisaged to allow more direct flights into the region from European destinations since they will have ability to handle bigger aircraft.
The KAA plans to expand Malindi Airport’s runway to 2.5km from 1.5km to accommodate larger commercial aircraft.
The authority has laid out a three-phase plan for the expansion of the airport. Phase one of the project began with the construction of a modern terminal while the second stage will involve the expansion of the airport apron.
The authority also plans to expand Ukunda’s runway by 0.5km to 1.6km, enabling the airstrip to accommodate larger aircraft too.
The government embarked on an aggressive drive to upgrade airports and airstrips around the country to unlock the potential of counties and enhance connectivity to other regions.
The new face of Manda Airport in Lamu County was formally unveiled early last month after the completion of two kilometre runway which has given it the ability to handle bigger aircraft.
The new runway, which was previously just a kilometre-long, is part of the upgrade that Manda Airstrip is undergoing. The rehabilitation work of the runway was expected to be complete by April last year, however, logistics issues delayed the project.
The airstrip is expected to handle increased air traffic once the Lamu Port -South Sudan- Ethiopia Transport corridor project starts in earnest.
Construction of a cold room facility, hangers and a fuel depot at the airport is also underway. The raft of expansion projects at the airstrip is to ensure that the airstrip has the capacity to cater to larger planes and increased human traffic. Manda Airstrip also has a new Sh160 million terminal building which can handle 200 passengers.
According to KAA, in 2014, the airstrip handled 3,497 flight operations (1,748 takeoffs and 1,749 landings) while 36,476 passengers used the facility.
The upgrade of the runway is expected to encourage international airlines to land directly in Lamu, increasing number of tourist arrivals.
