Site hitch holds back Sh60m airstrip plan
What you need to know:
- In an earlier interview, KAA Corporate Communications Manager Angela Tilitei said the number of travellers expected to use the airstrip, the type of aircraft that will use it and wind direction are among the factors that will be considered for the site’s approval.
- The airstrip will also be used by planes ferrying farm produce, especially flowers and fruits.
Nakuru County may not realise its dream of having an airstrip soon as the search for a suitable site to build the Sh60 million facility is proving elusive.
Earlier plans by the Kenya Airports Authority to establish the airstrip on a 600-acre piece of land in Pipeline was stopped as the National Environment Management Authority said the area was a flamingo corridor.
ONE MILLION TRAVELLERS
County Executive for Public Works and Transport Joel Maina said engineers from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) were now surveying an alternative site in Naivasha.
The county government had proposed two sites to the authority, one in Njoro and another in Naivasha.
The one in Njoro was rejected because of its poor terrain, said County Executive for Land, Housing and Physical planning Rachel Maina.
The airstrip is expected to serve about one million travellers annually. They include tourists to the Lake Nakuru National Park, among other attractions in the region.
The airstrip will also be used by planes ferrying farm produce, especially flowers and fruits.
In an earlier interview, KAA Corporate Communications Manager Angela Tilitei said the number of travellers expected to use the airstrip, the type of aircraft that will use it and wind direction are among the factors that will be considered for the site’s approval.
AVERT LOSSES
“The government does not want to spend money on an airport or airstrip that will not generate any revenue or enough profits to sustain its services,” said KAA’s corporate planning and strategy head, Mr Henry Ogoye.
Establishing the airstrip away from birds is meant to avert losses that could be incurred when planes collide with flamingos.
Repairing a failed engine after a bird strike requires up to Sh300 million, KAA General Manager for Safety and Security Erick Kiraithe told the Nation earlier.
