Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo has asked residents who have encroached on Lichota Airstrip land to evacuate to enable expansion of the airstrip.
Omollo who spoke on Thursday after touring the Migori-based airstrip, noted that the Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) was in the process of expanding the terminal building to accommodate more flight passengers.
Currently, the airstrip has a runway of 1.2 kilometers that is capable of handling a 50-seater plane.
Omollo however, urged the county residents to work with the county government to preserve and take care of the airstrip to enable the trade and tourism sector to flourish in South Nyanza Region.
The Principal Secretary for Roads and Transport Mohamed Daghar who accompanied Dr. Omollo emphasised the need for the locals to invest more in the Lichota Airstrip to enable it to grow and make economic sense.
Dr. Omollo acknowledged that the airstrip has all the necessary supporting facilities needed for an aerodrome to operate disclosing that the airstrip runway would soon be expanded to 1.7 kilometers to allow full-load landing of bigger planes.
“When the runway is expanded to 1.7 kilometers, Lichota will be able to handle 100 seater planes according to the projected plans of the airstrip,” he said
In September 2023, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport, and Public Works Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen officially launched the commercial flights at the airstrip that has so far opened up the tourism and trade sectors in Nyanza Region and neighboring Tanzania.
Murkomen acknowledged that the national government was in the process of expanding the runaway to accommodate more commercial flights and flight cargo as well as putting up an additional terminal worth Sh200 million to expand the capacity of the Migori Airstrip capable of handling 350,000 flights per year once completed.
By Janemolly Achieng and Geoffrey Makokha
