Kenya eyes over 9m passengers

CS James Macharia (PHOTO: FILE)

Kenya is modernising its aviation hubs to improve passenger-handling capacity to nine million.

Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary (CS) James Macharia said the State will also expand railway transport to handle 50 per cent of the cargo freight from the port of Mombasa as well as promote commuter rail services.

Macharia, whose docket includes housing, urban development and public works, said shipping and maritime facilities will also be improved to facilitate the transhipment of cargo.

He was addressing an event to mark this year’s edition of the World Engineering Day held at the University of Nairobi.

He urged local engineers to help the country realise the Big Four Agenda and Vision 2030.

“We should design technologies and systems that can facilitate economic growth, education, enhance the quality of life, help minimise poverty, ensure adequate food supply and reduction of the carbon footprint,” said Macharia in Nairobi last week.

Other major projects in the pipeline, he noted, included the construction and rehabilitation of 10,000km of roads comprising 2,500km of conventional roads and 7,500km of low volume sealed roads.

This is in addition to the maintenance of 161,456km of roads consisting of about 40,000km of national trunk roads and 121,456km of county roads. He explained that the government plans to decongest cities and urban areas, reduce travel time and costs, and enhance connectivity in cities and urban areas to ease the cost of doing business.

Plans are underway to develop a 50-year Transport Master Plan and a 20-year Roads Master Plan. Macharia stated that the ministry will create an enabling framework that builds engineering capacities and boost education.

The event was organised by the Institution of Engineers of Kenya in collaboration with the Engineers Board of Kenya. The CS also launched the inaugural issue of the Engineering in Kenya (EIK) magazine whose editorial board is chaired by Prof Larry Gumbe.

The Chairman of the Engineers Board of Kenya, Erastus Mwongera, also addressed the gathering.