The construction of the much-awaited Nakuru Airport at Lanet Barracks is set to begin in two weeks.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has settled on a contractor who will expand and open the military airstrip for civilian use.
According to Daily Nation, KAA opened bids for the construction work last month and picked a contractor.
The Sh3 billion project located at the 81Tanks Battalion barracks will be implemented in two phases.
Phase one entails the upgrade of the current 1.7 kilometres runway to bitumen standards, fencing, and the construction of taxiways.
Separate lounges and gates will be constructed for both military and civilian use for security purposes.
Phase two will mainly be the extension of phase one, depending on viability, to allow the airport to accommodate much larger aircraft.
The second phase will dwell more on expanding the runway from 1.7km to 3.6km.
“This might include compensating neighbouring residents whose land may be acquired for the project,” said Governor Lee Kinyanjui.
Upon completion, the project is expected to accommodate bigger cargo and passenger planes of approximately 40 to 100 tonnes.
The Governor says the airport will enhance the horticultural and the tourism sector in the region.
Currently, flower firms rely on refrigerated trucks to ferry produce to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, more than 100 kilometres away, for export.
Nakuru County is well known for the production of close to 70 per cent of Kenya’s flower exports, as well as tourism.
The Nakuru airport will also serve flights that are normally redirected from the JKIA in Nairobi to Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret during emergencies.
