Jambojet opens new office in Eldoret to widen footprint in North Rift region

Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Mandago  [PHOTO  BY STANDARD]

Uasin Gishu, Kenya: Low-cost carrier Jambojet officially opened its office yesterday in Eldoret town to offer its services to more customers.

Officiating the launch, Governor Mandago hailed Jambojet for introducing affordable air travel in the region, saying it would spur trade and tourism.

"We are delighted by Jambojet's decision to introduce non-stop flights to Eldoret. This will no doubt boost economic activities not just in Uasin Gishu but the entire North Rift region," said Mr Mandago.

"Uasin Gishu is a regional hub for six counties of the North Rift and Western Kenya region. Jambojet will stimulate the region's economy since businessmen and women will be able to travel easily and fast for economic activities.''

finest athletes

North Rift is agriculturally-rich region and famous for producing some of the world's finest athletes.

Mr Mandago said there has been an increase in the number of passengers flying to Lodwar and back due to the poor road network and insecurity in the region amongst other factors and hence asked the Jambojet management to increase the number of flights.

"Due to the increase in passengers to and from Lodwar, I urge Jambojet to increase the number of flights to the region. As county government, we will ensure security to encourage investors to come in,'' added Mandago.

The Chief Executive Officer of Jambojet, Willem Hondius, said the launching of the new office was a strategy to make the region more accessible both nationally and internationally.

According to Mr Hondius, trade between counties will be a major factor in driving the growth of the domestic aviation market, hence the decision to target the North Rift region.

"Counties are inter-linked economically, socially and culturally. We hope to exploit such inter-linkages to further grow the market by providing a convenient and affordable travel option," explained Hondius.

"Despite the setbacks, we experienced over our first year of operations, the Jambo jet limited has experienced a tremendous growth.

"The number of customers operating between Eldoret-Nairobi routes is currently over 130,000," said the CEO.

making strides

He added that the number of flights operating on the route per week has increased to 30, indicating that the company is making strides.

The airline flies twice daily between Eldoret and Nairobi. Fares start at Sh2,950 but could rise depending on how early one has booked their flight.

Last week, Jambojet said it has increased flights to Kisumu and Ukunda to meet growing demand on those routes.

CEO added that the company has bigger and better plans for the region and the entire nation.