By Mulembe Times | Nairobi
The government has officially unveiled a fresh plan to expand the country’s main aviation hub, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), months after cancelling a controversial multi-billion shilling proposal involving India’s Adani Group.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the new expansion programme is aimed at easing congestion, improving efficiency, and significantly increasing both passenger and cargo handling capacity at the airport.
Speaking while unveiling the new roadmap, Chirchir confirmed that a fresh tender has now been advertised, inviting private investors to participate in the construction of a new passenger terminal and the upgrading of existing facilities at JKIA.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the expansion will be guided by a newly completed master plan and feasibility study, finalised last month, which outlines a comprehensive redevelopment of the airport’s airside, landside and terminal infrastructure.
“We are competitively advertising for interested bidders to come in today. And when we close the bids, there are PPDA rules on opening of bids and evaluation processes that will be strictly in line with the law,” said Chirchir.
He added that the government is keen to assure Kenyans that the procurement process will be transparent and compliant with public procurement regulations.
“Basically, you cannot stop Kenyans from speculating. That is why I am here today as the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport to assure Kenyans of the process that we have initiated. I have shown you the documents and we have been working on this master plan since February last year,” he said.
The expansion comes at a time when JKIA is already operating beyond its original design capacity.
The airport currently handles about nine million passengers annually, exceeding its initial capacity of 7.5 million passengers. While incremental upgrades have been implemented over the years, authorities admit that the piecemeal approach has created operational bottlenecks across the airside, terminal and landside systems.
Under the new plan, passenger numbers at JKIA are projected to rise from the current nine million to more than 22 million annually over the long term. Cargo volumes are also expected to grow sharply, from about 407,000 tonnes in 2025 to over 860,000 tonnes by 2045.
Transport officials warn that without major expansion, the airport risks losing efficiency and competitiveness as a regional aviation hub, while safety and operational reliability could also be compromised.
Chirchir said the government is targeting an aggressive delivery timeline.
“We will really work around the clock to ensure we deliver the new airport within three years,” he stated.
The new development programme follows the collapse of a proposed investment deal with Adani Group, which had reportedly been valued at more than KSh200 billion. The earlier plan attracted public criticism and political scrutiny before it was eventually shelved.
Under the revised approach, the expansion will include the construction of a new passenger terminal capable of handling an additional 10 million passengers every year, with provisions built in for future expansion as demand continues to rise.
At the same time, major upgrades will be undertaken at the existing facility to improve its short-term performance.
“What we will be doing is that, in parallel with the new airport, we will be working on an optimisation upgrade of the current facility within 15 months, so that within 15 months the current terminal will be able to handle up to 12 million passengers,” Chirchir explained.
The infrastructure works outlined in the master plan also include the upgrading of the existing runway, construction of a partial parallel taxiway, and additional rapid exit taxiways to improve aircraft movement and reduce congestion on the airfield.
Beyond aviation infrastructure, the project envisions the development of an Airport City and a Special Economic Zone around JKIA. The integrated hub is expected to support logistics, trade, light manufacturing and business services, positioning the airport as a key driver of economic activity in the wider Nairobi metropolitan area.
Officials say the integrated development model will help attract international investors and strengthen Kenya’s role as a regional gateway for both passengers and cargo.
With the tendering phase now officially open, the JKIA expansion has entered what the government describes as one of the most closely watched infrastructure procurement processes in the country, as stakeholders await the selection of investors and the commencement of construction works.
