State to shut JKIA's Terminal 1E - CS Murkomen
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. KAA says only Terminal 1A and 1E at the airport were affected by a power outage on Sunday evening, December 10.
The government will shut terminal 1E in a few months, citing that the facility has outlived its time.
Speaking Tuesday after touring the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said Terminal 1E, which is used for international arrivals, will be decommissioned in the next few months upon completion of another arrival terminal.
"I visited the airport to inspect the progress of ongoing works to build a roof above Terminal 1B and 1C which will solve the perennial leakages onto level 1 while creating more capacity at the facility for a new arrival terminal and lounges as we prepare to decommission Terminal 1E," said the CS.
JKIA, he said, is a critical facility that provides direct and indirect employment to over 15,000 Kenyans and, therefore, it is a crucial trade and transportation hub for goods and people across the country, the region and the globe.
However, the facility has been a house of chaos, from leaking roofs at some points to blackouts.
Last year, when the country suffered a nationwide blackout, JKIA was immensely affected when its generators failed. In the aftermath, the CS fired officials at the facility and promised there will never be a repeat of the scenario, only for it to happen again months later.
In recent days, users have also complained of leaking roofs.
The CS made the announcement on the same day Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and Kenya Airports Authority, in collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics launched the Aviation Satellite Account (ASA) project to enhance “the understanding and measurement of the aviation sector's economic significance.”
“Through the ASA project, we seek to provide comprehensive data to assess the impact of aviation on various industries within Kenya,” said KCAA Director General Emile Arao.
