Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has finally addressed the leaking roof at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), blaming the previous administration.
He said the leakage resulted from poor workmanship by the contractor and engineers who worked on upgrades at Terminal 1C and 1E during President Uhuru Kenyatta's previous administration.
The transport CS said the builders rushed through the interim modifications without fulfilling the minimum requirements because the government was decommissioning the facility and building a new one.
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Murkomen stated in Diani, Kwale County, while evaluating the expansion of Diani Airport, that the modifications will be performed to meet the required criteria.
He insisted that the engineers and contractor in charge of the renovations explain why they did such a poor job that led to the leaking yesterday.
"They will have to explain the scope of work used in the renovations that when there is heavy rainfall, there must be a leakage," he said.
However, he stated that the leaky roof has been temporarily repaired to prevent future leaks during this rainy season.
The CS stated that a new contract will be granted to build a new terminal in the Airport's greenfield region.
The contract will be a public-private partnership that will begin in January 2024.
"We already have the feasibility study,, and the President has said we have to deliver a completely new airport by 2027," he said.
Concerning the airport's power supply, Murkomen stated that the government has already resolved the blackout issue by building a backup generator, but there is still a blip in interchange time.
He stated that the power exchange now takes 20 minutes, but they are working to lower the duration to 30 seconds.
