President William Ruto inspected Wednesday the ongoing rehabilitation of Itembe Airstrip in Bomet County, as the government moves to restore the facility after more than 30 years of neglect.
Ruto began his four-day development tour of the South Rift in Bomet, where he inspected the airstrip before proceeding to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Kapkwen Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) market.
The ongoing works at the airstrip have so far covered about one kilometre of the runway, with the contractor currently undertaking the final layer of stabilisation ahead of the laying of asphalt.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the contractor has two weeks to complete the tarmacking of the runway.
The project will deliver a 1,000-metre by 18-metre asphalt-concrete runway, taxiway and aircraft parking apron, alongside a windsock, drainage system and perimeter security fence, all designed to meet applicable International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
The government plans to acquire an additional 13 hectares of land from the surrounding area to facilitate expansion of the runway to 1.2 kilometres.
KAA said it was working with the Ministry of Lands to complete the acquisition process and enable the expansion works to proceed.
The revival of the airstrip is expected to transform transport and connectivity in Bomet while opening up opportunities in trade, tourism and healthcare.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the facility would particularly improve medical evacuations from Tenwek Mission Hospital, one of the region's major healthcare facilities.
Chirchir said the absence of a functional airstrip nearby had previously made it difficult to airlift patients from Tenwek to other hospitals when specialised treatment was required.
“With the restoration of Itembe, medical evacuations and transfers are expected to become faster, improving access to emergency and specialised healthcare,” he said during a past event.
The government also sees the airstrip as an important component of efforts to unlock the economic potential of the county.
In his address to the residents, Ruto announced that the government had set aside Sh19 billion for road projects in Bomet, covering more than 380 kilometres of roads.
The President said the combination of improved roads and air transport would help open up the county to increased investment, trade and tourism.
The administration is also targeting increased electricity access in the county, with Ruto saying 25,000 new households in Bomet would be connected to electricity before April 2027.
At Kapkwen, the President launched the construction of an ESP market being undertaken by the National Youth Service (NYS).
The market is expected to provide traders with improved facilities while supporting local economic activity.
Ruto also announced plans to launch another 2,000 affordable housing units in Bomet town next month at a cost of Sh5 billion.
He said 1,000 additional units would be developed in Sotik, while another affordable housing project would be undertaken in Longisa, Bomet East.
The projects form part of the government's broader development programme in the South Rift, combining infrastructure, housing, markets, energy and transport investments.
The rehabilitation of Itembe Airstrip is expected to complement these investments by improving the movement of people and goods and giving Bomet faster access to national and regional destinations.
