Kenya to Break Ground on JKIA Expansion After Years of Stalled Plans

Kenya will break ground on the expansion of its main gateway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), as the government races to maintain Nairobi’s position as East Africa’s aviation hub after years of false starts and cancelled projects.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the project, expected to begin in 2026, will include the construction of a new passenger terminal and upgrades to airside infrastructure to ease congestion at the airport, which already operates close to its designed capacity.

The planned terminal is expected to handle an additional 10 million passengers annually, with room for further expansion in later phases.

Authorities also plan to upgrade taxiways, aprons and aircraft support facilities while modernising passenger processing systems.

A second runway is also part of the longer-term master plan and could be completed by 2029, significantly increasing aircraft movements and improving operational efficiency at the airport.

The expansion marks Kenya’s latest attempt to modernise its main aviation hub after several projects stalled over the past decade.

In 2013, the government launched the ambitious Greenfield Terminal project, which was expected to increase JKIA’s passenger capacity to more than 20 million travellers a year.

Construction was halted before completion due to funding challenges and shifting government priorities.

More recently, the government scrapped a proposed multi-billion-dollar concession deal with India’s Adani Group that would have seen the company expand and operate the airport under a long-term lease.

The proposal drew sharp criticism from lawmakers, unions and civil society groups who raised concerns over transparency and control of strategic national infrastructure.

The renewed push to upgrade JKIA comes as neighbouring countries invest heavily in aviation infrastructure in a bid to position themselves as regional transit hubs.

Ethiopia is planning a large new airport near Addis Ababa designed to handle tens of millions of passengers annually, while Rwanda is constructing the Bugesera International Airport outside Kigali as part of its strategy to expand the national carrier and grow aviation traffic.

Analysts say delays in expanding JKIA risk eroding Nairobi’s long-standing advantage as a gateway to East and Central Africa, particularly as competing hubs in the region move ahead with large-scale infrastructure investment.

The planned expansion is seen as critical to sustaining passenger growth, supporting tourism and maintaining Nairobi’s status as the region’s busiest aviation hub.