The financial allocation contained in budget documents will see the rehabilitation of Suneka, Sagana, Sironga and Gombe Airstrips in the new financial year.
The upgrades are meant to allow the airstrips to accommodate larger aircraft as local airlines expand to new routes as demand for air travel picks after the easing of Covid-19 restrictions that were imposed by the state.
The Gombe and Sagana airstrips upgrade is expected to boost tourism in Siaya and Nyeri counties.
The transport ministry has set aside Sh151 million for the upgrade of four county airstrips to meet the rising demand for domestic air travel.
The financial allocation contained in budget documents will see the rehabilitation of Suneka, Sagana, Sironga and Gombe Airstrips in the new financial year.
The upgrades are meant to allow the airstrips to accommodate larger aircraft as local airlines expand to new routes as demand for air travel picks after the easing of Covid-19 restrictions that were imposed by the state.
The authority will spend Sh20 million on the Suneka airstrip in Kisii County and Sh50 million on the Sagana airstrip in Nyeri County to ease travel to Central Kenya where residents fly to Nayaribo and connects to the region by road.
Additionally, the State Department for Transport will spend Sh31million on Sironga Airstrip in Nyamira County.
Gombe airstrip upgrade located in Siaya County has also been allocated Sh50 million in the upgrade exercise set to start in the next few months.
Boost tourism
The Gombe and Sagana airstrips upgrade is expected to boost tourism in Siaya and Nyeri counties.
The tourism sector rebounded last year supported by locals, as the industry pulled out of a painful two-year period since it was hit by the pandemic.
The tourism sector performance report 2021 shows that the industry earnings jumped 65 percent to Sh146.51 billion last year up from Sh88.56 billion in 2020.
Tourist arrivals through airports and border points also increased 53.3 percent to 870,465 from 567,848 over the period.
