NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto has announced that the planned expansion of Kisii’s Suneka Airstrip is expected to be completed by May or June 2027, renewing government promises to establish a fully operational airport in the region.
Speaking during a church service at St Mary’s Girls High School in Narok on Sunday, November 15, Ruto said his administration had allocated funds for the expansion and was working on plans to improve the existing facility.
He said the airstrip had previously been declared unsuitable but that the government had now committed resources towards upgrading it.
“Airport Kisii ilikuwa condemned ya kwamba hii airport haifai. Lakini nimeweka pesa pale, nimepanga vile itakuwa expanded na nimesema kufikia mwezi wa tano, sita mwaka ujao, there will be a new airport in Kisii,” Ruto said.
The President’s announcement gives the project an anticipated completion window of May to June 2027, although he did not provide a detailed implementation schedule or the total cost of the proposed expansion.
The project is expected to involve improvements to the existing runway and airport facilities to enable larger aircraft to operate in the region.
Suneka Airstrip Project Has Faced Years of Delays
The proposed Kisii airport is centred on Suneka Airstrip in Bonchari Constituency, a facility that has experienced years of stalled construction, changing government plans and uncertainty over its future.
The airstrip underwent major rehabilitation in 2015 through a Sh52 million project that included a passenger lounge designed to accommodate 200 people, a car park, toilets, an administration block, perimeter fencing and runway markings.
In 2020, the national government allocated an additional Sh300 million towards expanding the facility to accommodate passenger and cargo aircraft.
The Kenya Airports Authority subsequently undertook runway rehabilitation works under a contract initially valued at Sh134 million before being revised to approximately Sh129.2 million.
However, the project stalled after the contractor abandoned the site. According to the authority’s 2021/2022 audited accounts, construction had reached approximately 58 per cent before the contractor demobilised equipment in April 2022.
In August 2023, Ruto announced plans to decommission the airstrip, citing insufficient land for the Kenya Airports Authority to undertake the required expansion.
The government later reversed course following consultations with leaders from the Gusii region.
In August 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that the government intended to recommission the facility following discussions between Ruto and regional leaders.
The revival efforts gained momentum in July 2026 when Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo announced that a new contractor had taken over the stalled expansion project.
Omollo said the previous contractor had encountered challenges and that the necessary documentation had been completed to allow work to resume.
Ruto Says He Is Working With Simba Arati
The President also referred to discussions with Kisii Governor Simba Arati over the planned airport improvements.
During an earlier address in the Gusii region on November 10, Ruto said he had agreed with Arati to work together on expanding the runway to accommodate larger aircraft.
He said the improvements would reduce residents’ reliance on airports in neighbouring counties when travelling by air.
The President’s latest remarks suggest that the government intends to complete the expansion within the next seven to eight months, although the specific construction milestones have not been publicly detailed.
Ruto Also Addresses JKIA Expansion
Ruto also highlighted the ongoing modernisation of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, saying construction had begun after earlier challenges surrounding the project.
He said the government had resolved the difficulties that had affected the planned development and that work was progressing.
The JKIA modernisation project is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation under a Sh154.2 billion contract signed in June 2026.
The works include construction of a new passenger terminal, improvements to existing facilities and upgrades to airside and landside infrastructure.
However, the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure was informed during a November 10 inspection that the overall JKIA project is expected to take 36 months, with completion anticipated around mid-2029.
Ruto said the airport developments were part of his administration’s wider infrastructure programme, which he maintained was being implemented across different parts of the country.
“So tunaendesha maendeleo katika kila sehemu ya Kenya,” he said.
