Nairobi, 11^th March, 2020:  The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has commissioned four new airport rescue and fire-fighting trucks acquired at a cost of Ksh 369 million.

The four trucks are destined for use at the Moi International Airport(MIA), the Kisumu International Airport (KIA), the Eldoret International Airport (EIA) and Lodwar Airport.

The firefighting trucks are in addition to two which were commissioned in March last year and at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as part of the ongoing modernisation of local airports and airstrips in the country.

The trucks include three Mercedes Benz Titan trucks with engine capacity of 700 horsepower, a top speed of 120 kilometres per hour with acceleration of 80 kilometres per hour in 25 seconds. With a weight of 34 tonnes the trucks carry a water and foam capacity of 12, 500 litres and 1,500 litres respectively.

The other truck is a Mercedes Benz AROC with an engine capacity of 456 horsepower, a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour with an acceleration speed of 80 kilometres per hour in 27 seconds. The truck has a water capacity of 5000 litres and a foam capacity of 600 litres.

According to Alex Gitari, the Acting Managing Director, KAA, the ultra-modern trucks will help KAA in meeting the challenges and demands of disaster management in the local aviation sector.

“As technology in aircraft production increases other sectors of the industry like ground support infrastructure and services like fire cover must also be upgraded to meet industry demands. We assure our customers, including our esteemed airlines that safety is our top priority at KAA and we are pledging to provide resources to ensure our airports meet the highest safety standards that go beyond the regulatory requirements.” He added.

The airports, he said, were the first and last points of contact for visitors and travelling public, and for whom safety was of major concern while using the airports. The trucks, he added, would go a long way in ensuring that airports transitioned quickly to recover and resume normal operations in case of emergencies like aircraft accidents and domestic fires.

The airports emergency response teams in Kenya comprise of airlines, ground handlers, hospitals, ambulance operators the county governments, security agencies and the neighbouring communities around the airports.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has received concerns raised by the Public about alleged harassment of Uber drivers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

We wish to reiterate that KAA does not in any way condone any form of harassment of our esteemed customers, clients, users and/or stakeholders at any of our airports and neither does the Authority nor our staff dictate the choice of transport for airport users.

We however encourage our customers and airport users to use the officially registered Airport Taxis (Yellow Airport Taxis) that can be found at various designated waiting and pick-up points within the airport.

Meanwhile, KAA is in discussions with other non airport registered taxi service providers to establish a commercial arrangement that is similar to the existing arrangement with the registered providers to officially allocate them space to wait and pick up their customers at our airports.

This will be announced to the travelling public in due course.

Lamu 10th November 2016 – Kenya Airports Authority is for the 10th year running sponsoring the annual Lamu Cultural Festival. The event, which is running from the 10th to the 13th of November, seeks to celebrate the unique heritage of the Lamu archipelago. The annual festival offers a fascinating insight into life on the island.

This year, KAA has sponsored the Donkey race at a tune of KShs. 200,000. Scheduled flights landing at Manda Airstrip in the island are in full capacity as visitors throng the region for the festival. The airstrip’s acting Officer in Charge, Mr. Ali Godana noted that the airstrip records over 400 passengers daily with efforts in place to increase it’s capacity.

“We have recently extended our runway from 1 to 2 Kilometers to allow larger aircraft to land at the island and in turn boost tourism in the region.” Said Mr. Godana.

Skyward Express, which is a domestic airline, is set to join Jambo Jet, Fly540, Air Kenya Express and Fly Sax with daily scheduled flights to Lamu as from next month.

Apart from the Lamu Cultural Festival, KAA has also in past supported the island’s Maulidi Festival, a celebration of both the past and the future, and the beliefs and traditions that are the heart and soul of the community. In a bid to give back to the island’s community, the authority through its CSR program, has also supported the Lamu county government in a lighting project that saw 100 street lights put up at the island’s seafront.

Lamu Cultural Festival is a vibrant display of island life in East Africa’s oldest town. The coastal settlement is listed by UNESCO as a prestigious World Heritage site and is one of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa with a unique heritage dating back over 700 years.