Isiolo Airport incomplete after 14 years, requires additional Sh4.8 billion for full operation
Although the airport currently allows for non-scheduled flights like helicopters, Chirchir said flooding has damaged parts of the runway, making it unsafe for many aircraft types.
More than a decade after its launch, the Isiolo International Airport remains incomplete, with the government now saying an additional Sh4.8 billion is required to finish the project.
Appearing before the Senate, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the airport cannot support both cargo and passenger operations in its current state.
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The inquiry had been raised by Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo, who questioned why the project was still unfinished despite its strategic importance.
“As it stands, the project is a white elephant. The government cannot say it does not have Sh4.8 billion to upgrade the airport. Please give us a timeline you commit to finalise this project,” Senator Dullo said.
The project, which began in 2011, has already consumed Sh2.97 billion.
Chirchir said the airport is vital in opening up the northern corridor, which links Kenya to South Sudan, Ethiopia and northern Uganda, but faces serious operational challenges.
Although the airport currently allows for non-scheduled flights like helicopters, Chirchir said flooding has damaged parts of the runway, making it unsafe for many aircraft types.
“The Kenya Airports Authority is awaiting additional funding from the National Treasury to address the matter, with proposals that include reconstructing runway pavement sections,” he said.
The Transport CS noted that Sh1.5 billion is needed for full rehabilitation of the existing 1.4-kilometre asphalt runway, while another Sh1.5 billion is required for its extension to 3.5 kilometres.
Land acquisition
Other planned works include Sh500 million for land acquisition to allow for VIP facilities, a car park, hangars and road expansion, and Sh300 million to improve drainage.
Despite the billions already spent, the airport remains underutilised and unable to meet the needs it was designed for.
The Sh2.7 billion airport was commissioned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017 and was part of the government’s Sh2.5 trillion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor project.
The airport, which straddles Meru and Isiolo counties, occupies 800 acres of land and consists of a modern passenger terminal that can handle more than 100,000 passengers annually, including parking facilities that accommodate as many as 200 vehicles.
It has about 12 concessional shops, a restaurant, banking and forex bureau space and a taxi parking lot with a capacity of 200 cars.
The airport's cargo sheds can handle at least 10 tonnes of luggage.
Its apron has a capacity for seven aircraft.
The airport is also an important link to the new transport corridor, which the government is developing under the Lapsset Corridor project.
The lack of necessary infrastructure, including aviation lights to allow planes to land and take off at night and cargo sheds, has prevented full utilisation of the airport, which has a 5,000-square-metre passenger terminal.
In 2023, the Trade Ministry said it received Sh14 billion from Afriexim Bank and the African Finance Cooperation to expand the Isiolo International Airport. However, the extension of the facility is yet to happen.
Isiolo Governor Abdi Hassan Guyo said the airport will be expanded to accommodate freighters that will be landing there.
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