Infrastructure

Embu Airstrip Set for Sh10 Billion Upgrade

The airport’s runway will be expanded from the current 1.5 km to 4 km.

Updated on

August 27, 2016

Embu County, in conjunction with the national government and foreign donors, is making plans to upgrade the Embu airstrip into a modern airport to ease transport and boost trade of agricultural products which are the county’s mainstay.

According to the Embu governor Martin Wambora, the renovations, which will cost a total of Sh10 billion, have been scheduled to commence next year.

Initially, the county only sought to renovate the Don Bosco-based airstrip but foreign investors lobbied to give it international standards for commercial purposes.

“The foreign investors said they were interested in an international airport,” said Wambora, a former Kenya Airports Authority chairman.

The Ministry of Transport is drafting a concept paper aimed at extending the runway from the current 1.5 kilometres to 4 kilometres.

In addition to lengthening the runway, the refurbishment will include the building of an airport apron, terminal buildings, hangars, a free trade zone, and warehouses.

“We have received potential partners who are ready to develop it. The money will be found. They are waiting for a concept paper. We want to shift the kind of activities that are going on there to Nyaribo in Nyeri county,” he said.

The renovations will benefit farmers in the region especially those producing coffee, macadamia, and horticultural products which have started attracting international interest.

The airstrip, which Wambora says is currently being used for “other purposes”, is located in Don Bosco on the Embu-Kiritiri road, approximately 10 minutes southeast of Embu town.

When completed, it will be the seventh international airport in the country after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Moi International Airport, Wilson Airport, Wajir International Airport, Eldoret International Airport, and Kisumu International Airport.

Besides the airstrip, the Embu county government also plans to upgrade the Embu stadium for Sh100 million. The county is also in the process of building an asphalt plant which will go a long way in reducing the cost incurred when building tarmacked roads.