AIRPORTSLamu, Isiolo and Turkana
International Airports: one each at Lamu, Isiolo, and Lake Turkana; as well as an intermediary airport in Lamu
Cost Estimate
- Lamu International Airport – US$ 188 Million
- Isiolo International Airport – US$ 175 Million
- Turkana International Airport – US$ 143 Million
Economic Evaluation
- Airport at Lamu has an EIRR of 20.7%, which indicates economic viability.
- Airports at Isiolo and Turkana, however, need rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing airports. The maximum allowable costs are assessed to maintain the cut-off EIRR of 12%,
Financing Plan
- In consideration of public nature of an international airport, the basic civil facilities should be constructed, owned, and maintained by the Government of Kenya.
- The passenger and cargo terminals are better to be constructed, owned and operated by qualified private entities under the PPP Framework.
Current Status
- The Government of Kenya commissioned the refurbished Isiolo International Airport in July 2017. The airport has been rehabilitated to international standards to serve a number of airlines and air operators with domestic and international flights.
- The terminal building and admin block is complete and ready for full scale operations. With a passenger handling capacity of 125,000 passengers a year, it has been built to accommodate more tourists and local residents.
- The government has also planned to extend Isiolo Airport runway from 1.4km to 2.5km to attract larger planes.
“TICAD VI is a great opportunity for the country and Africa at large. Japan is a long-standing partner with Kenya in development projects which include port and roads. Hopefully now this can also go to LAPSSET.”
Irungu Nyakera
Former Principal Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing & Urban Development