Mohammed Hersi . A hotelier passionate about Tourism & Governance in Africa

Fact : If you already have a functioning International airport within a radius of 200KM no international airline will bother to land at your new airport. This is a fact that will NOT change tommorow. Even Dodoma new city where TZ government sits no international airline is landing there. Even Abuja Nigeria the few flights are forced ones.

Many factors come into play including altitude and many other factors that is beyond human intervention for mitigation.

An aviation expert told me ….look here no international airline would make a wasteful land and take off within a radius of 200KM. It costs big money when a Boeing or Airbus takes off so no airline would undertake any such wasteful process. Airlines are not some charity or some betting session.

What informed Kiambu and its fixation with an international airport, Nakuru is worse sitting at the base of Rift Valley . Transporting the flowers to JKIA by road is certainly a cheaper option and if SGR is to work properly and direct to JKIA even better .

We already have JKIA serving Nbi & Mt Kenya region.

Moi International Airport serving Mombasa & Kenya Coast hence Malindi will always play second fiddle and anyone who thinks Diani should be made international airport is equally day dreaming. Mombasa to Diani is hardly 35KM and now that Dongo Kundu bypass will soon be reality then best Diani can do is domestic JKIA or Wilson and one day flights between Kisumu or Eldoret.

Eldoret Airport is serving Edoret and North Rift.

Kisumu is serving lake region

Despite many years of existence of Eldoret & Kisumu none boasts of any scheduled international flight so where will Kiambu. Masai Mara or Nakuru get those scheduled flights ? From where? Going where? Airlines are driven by commercial reasons, period. Best maybe Mara can do is charter personal jets but again why would anyone fly that on a long haul flight 9 hours from Europe and even more from North America.

Its good to be ambitious but let’s also be realistic and stop wasting tax payers money.

Isiolo needed a world class abattoir NOT some useless white elephant of an airport. Let’s be realistic.

Kiambu and Nakuru and all major towns in Kenya lack proper sewage system and fresh water supply not some white elephant of an international airport.

Nakuru in my opinion like most other towns along the northern corridor they need proper truck stops . Not a single town in Kenya has planned for an official trucks rest point. NONE. They park anywhere posing all sorts of dangers to other motorists.

Let us get basics right , talk to Makueni governor who is practical in all his moves. Mangoe pulp factory, silk farming, Tomato processing factory etc.

As always I choose to remain an optimist

Mohammed Hersi
Mombasa