The Government is set to restore operations at two airstrips in the South Rift region that have remained largely inactive for nearly three decades, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has said.
Chirchir said rehabilitation works at Itembe Airstrip in Bomet and Kerenga Airstrip in Kericho were progressing, with the Government seeking to bring the facilities back into active use.
The CS said tarmacking works at Itembe Airstrip are expected to be completed by the end of this week, paving the way for aircraft to begin landing at the facility.
The revival of the Bomet airstrip is expected to provide a major boost to medical evacuations, particularly for patients at Tenwek Hospital, one of the region’s major healthcare facilities.
Chirchir said the lack of a functional airstrip nearby had previously made it difficult to airlift patients from Tenwek to other medical facilities when specialised treatment was required.
With Itembe restored, medical evacuations and transfers by air are expected to become faster and more convenient, potentially improving access to emergency and specialised healthcare.
On the Kerenga Airstrip in Kericho, Chirchir said construction works are expected to be completed within the next two to three months.
He disclosed that he had recently summoned the contractor to his office and pressed for the project to be completed within the set timeframe.
The rehabilitation of the two facilities is part of the Government’s wider efforts to expand air transport infrastructure across the country.
Chirchir urged Kenyans to embrace air travel, saying the Government has been developing and upgrading airstrips in almost every county to make air transport more accessible to citizens.
He said restoring Itembe and Kerenga would bring back into operation facilities that had been largely unused for about 30 years.
Chirchir attributed the prolonged inactivity of the airstrips to the leadership that was previously in charge of the country, saying the current administration was working to revive infrastructure that had remained dormant for decades.
The reopening of the two airstrips is expected to improve connectivity in Bomet and Kericho while also supporting emergency medical services, business travel and broader economic activity in the two counties.
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