Infrastructure
Embu airstrip set for Sh10 billion upgrade
The airport’s runway will be expanded from the current 1.5 kilometers to 4 kilometers.
Embu County, in conjunction with the national government and foreign donors, is making plans to upgrade the Embu airstrip into a modern airport with a view to easing transport and boosting 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 kilometers to 4 kilometers.
In addition to lengthening the runway, the refurbishment will include 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 be of great benefit to 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 South East 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, Embu county government also plans to upgrade the Embu stadium at a cost of 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.
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