The upgrading of phase one of the Suneka airstrip is 85 per cent complete, Kisii county commissioner Godfrey Kigochi has said.
Kigochi said that the project had stalled because the contractor had not been paid but work has resumed after debts were settled.
He said that after completion of the first phase, the contractor will hand over the project to the Kenya Airports Authority.
“The contractor is working around the clock to complete phase one mid next month,” Kigochi told journalists in his office on Friday.
The first phase includes the construction of the main lounge and the erection of a perimeter fence.
The commissioner said that the County Integrated Development Plans Committee has been making site visits to check progress.
“The upgrade will allow the airstrip to accommodate commercial planes. This will boost the county’s economy and create employment for youths,” Kigochi said.
The administrator said that phase two of the project will be the extension and repairs on the runway to meet the required standards.
“We have since requested the KAA management to consider putting up a permanent structure at the airstrip to accommodate police officers,” the commissioner said.
He, however, noted that residents had damaged the perimeter fence to illegally use the airstrip for grazing livestock.
“Those engaging in the act should stop forthwith before they are arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
(edited by O. Owino)
