Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has refuted media reports linking a Zimbabwean businessman and his company to the multi-billion-shilling expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).<\/p>\n
Mr Chirchir stated that the firm in question neither participated in the procurement process nor has any association with the project.<\/p>\n
Addressing the media in response to recent allegations that a Zimbabwean-linked company had secured a stake in the airport modernisation programme, Chirchir categorically stated that the company mentioned in the reports \u201cdid not participate in this procurement process as a bidder and has no role, involvement or association whatsoever with this project.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cThey also are not part and parcel of the contractors who submitted bids to this tender,\u201d explaining that all bidders were required to disclose members of their joint ventures through legally binding declarations, and the entity in question did not appear in any of those submissions.<\/p>\n
The Cabinet Secretary accused sections of the media of spreading unverified information and urged Kenyans to rely on official government communication regarding the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedia houses owe Kenyans a higher duty of care not to intentionally or by carelessness misinform Kenyans,\u201d he charged<\/p>\n
Chirchir also disputed reports suggesting the airport expansion would cost Ksh 375 billion, maintaining that the government does not expect the contract award to exceed Ksh 154.2 billion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe contract award for the expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is not expected to exceed Ksh 154.2 billion, not the Ksh 375 billion figure cited in sections of the media.\u201dHe clarified<\/p>\n
According to the CS, the procurement process was conducted through an open international competitive bidding framework, providing equal opportunities to both local and international firms. He affirmed that the process fully complied with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act and underwent all statutory evaluation, approval, and due diligence requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout the planning and procurement process, the Government has remained committed to transparency and continuous public engagement,\u201d stated the CS.<\/p>\n
Chirchir further defended the ambitious project, explaining that JKIA\u2019s infrastructure is increasingly struggling to keep pace with growing passenger and cargo traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cJomo Kenyatta International Airport is increasingly operating under capacity constraints, and forecasts indicate that significant expansion is required to accommodate future demand while maintaining international standards of safety, operational efficiency and passenger service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Cabinet Secretary stated that the modernisation programme is anchored on a long-term master plan designed to transform Kenya\u2019s main gateway into a world-class aviation hub. Government projections indicate that passenger traffic has already surpassed the airport\u2019s original design capacity and is expected to continue growing sharply in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Under the proposed expansion, the existing terminal\u2019s annual passenger handling capacity will increase from 7.5 million to 12 million, while a new terminal will accommodate an additional 10 million passengers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will increase the capacity of JKIA from the current 7.5 million passengers per year to 22 million,\u201d Chirchir said.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that the project will also involve the rehabilitation of existing terminals and airfield infrastructure, construction of new terminal facilities, aircraft aprons, taxiways, utility networks, access roads, aviation systems, and other operational support facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Government of Kenya remains firmly committed to transforming Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into a world-class aviation hub that will support our country\u2019s economic growth, tourism, trade and regional connectivity for decades to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The CS maintained that the airport upgrade is not merely an infrastructure undertaking but a strategic national investment intended to preserve Kenya\u2019s competitiveness as East Africa\u2019s leading aviation and logistics gateway for future generations.<\/p>\n
The post JKIA expansion to cost Ksh 154bn, not Ksh 385bn \u2013 Chirchir<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has refuted media reports linking a Zimbabwean businessman and his company to the multi-billion-shilling expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Mr Chirchir stated that the firm in question neither participated in the procurement process nor has any association with the project. Addressing the media in response to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144281\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}