In response to growing concerns over the deteriorating state of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced the formation of an eleven-member committee tasked with investigating the issues plaguing the airport’s infrastructure.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Murkomen highlighted the committee’s mandate, which extends beyond JKIA to include an assessment of the state of other Kenyan airports, including Wilson and Moi Airports. The committee will review the progress made by contractors in the past two years and present a comprehensive report with remedial measures within 28 days.
The decision to form the committee comes on the heels of public outcry over leaks in the roof of JKIA, exacerbated by heavy rains in the country. Murkomen emphasized the urgency of addressing the situation and assured the public that renovations would be carried out to bring the airport up to the required standards.
Earlier, the KAA attributed the poor state of JKIA’s infrastructure to a lack of adequate funding over the past decade. The government has reportedly initiated the renovation process, including additional parking bays, increased runway capacity, and the expansion of the passenger terminal.
Notably, Murkomen also pointed fingers at the previous government, citing poor workmanship by contractors and engineers during renovations at Terminals 1C and 1E. He asserted that the contractors hastily executed temporary solutions without meeting required standards, as the government had plans to decommission the terminal and construct a new one.
Meanwhile, here are stories making headlines on Opera News today;
Bipartisan talks: Stalemate as Raila Odinga fresh demands threaten to derail talks with Ruto
Talks between President William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga last evening hit a deadlock that threatens to collapse the negotiations should there be no compromise when the National Dialogue Committee meets next Wednesday.
A report-writing retreat in Machakos yesterday ended prematurely and in disarray after Opposition negotiators stuck to their initial demands and introduced fresh ones, including the scrapping of the housing levy, reduction of value added tax on petroleum products from 16 per cent to eight per cent, among other proposals aimed at bringing down the cost of living.