• Transport committee says KAA dragged its feet on Sh1.2 billion improvements and financial year is ending.
• Authority MD says Kaa only received section of budget and used it to improve airstrips.
MPs denounced the Kenya Airports Authority on Thursday for the slow renovation of eight airports.
MPs told KAA managing director Jonny Anderson that the authority has dragged its feet on the Sh1.2 billion facelift project.
Appearing before Nationa Assembly Transport committee, Anderson explained KAA only received a section of the budget which he said was used to improve the airstrips.
His explanation was not satisfactory.
"This committee is very concerned with your speed of implementation. KAA has a very poor method of implementing projects and it is worrying," chairman David Pkosing said.
"We want to know what is going on with those airstrips. We have only one week to close the current financial year,” the Pokot South MP said.
In the current financial year (2018-19), Sh457 million was allocated for Malindi Airport expansion, Isiolo airport expansion got Sh300 million, Lokichogio
Kakamega airstrip was given Sh150 million, Kitale airstrip Sh100 million, Migori airstrip renovation Sh100 million and the Bomet airstrip facelift got Sh63 million.
“We don’t know what the problem of KAA is, they have good staff. There is some loose wire at the authority that needs to be adjusted," Pkosing said.
The committee also questioned the viability of the airstrips that consume billions of shillings. It emerged that some airstrips remain idle even after billions have been wasted to modernise them.
Isiolo county Woman Representative Rehema Jaldesa cited Isiolo Airport. Despite the billions spent to modernise it, not one airline uses the state-of-the-art facility, she said.
“Isiolo airport is not value for money, neither is it providing services to the people of Isiolo," Jaldesa said.
Pkosing directed KAA to conduct a comprehensive audit of all the country’s airstrip to determine their viability and ensure value for money.
“KAA should do an analysis of the models of the airstrips on how they can market them,” Pkosing directed.
(Edited by V, Graham)