Millions spent, no flights: Ruto makes fresh promise on Kisii airport

NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 10 – President William Ruto has renewed his promise to transform Suneka Airstrip into a fully operational airport, years after millions of shillings were spent on the facility without delivering the commercial flights residents have been waiting for. Ruto said his government would partner with Kisii Governor Simba Arati to expand the runway and upgrade the facility to accommodate bigger aircraft.

The President made the announcement on Tuesday while addressing residents during the third day of his Gusii region tour in Bonchari Constituency, where the airstrip is located. “I want to tell the people of Bonchari as well, and Simba, that we are going to build that new airport,” Ruto said. He acknowledged that the facility had experienced numerous challenges but said he had reached an agreement with Arati to address them and ensure the project is completed.

“That airport had many challenges, but I have agreed with this Simba that we are going to build that new airport,” he said. Ruto said the two leaders would work on extending the runway to allow bigger aircraft to land in Kisii, reducing residents’ dependence on airports in neighboring counties. “He will plan with me how we will extend that runway so that the big aircraft can land here for the people of Kisii,” he added.

The latest promise comes after years of uncertainty, stalled construction and changing government plans that have left Suneka Airstrip struggling to achieve its ambition of becoming a commercial aviation hub. Millions spent but airport remains unfinished Suneka Airstrip first received major rehabilitation in 2015, when a Sh52 million project was launched to improve its facilities.

The first phase included a passenger lounge designed to accommodate 200 people, toilets, a car park, an administration block, a perimeter fence and runway markings. The Kisii County Government announced the works in February 2015, saying the improvements would boost tourism and business in the region. However, the bigger ambition of accommodating commercial passenger and cargo aircraft required further investment and runway expansion.

In 2020, the national government allocated an additional Sh300 million towards expanding the facility to accommodate larger aircraft. The Kenya Airports Authority subsequently undertook Phase II runway rehabilitation works under a contract initially valued at Sh134 million before being revised to approximately Sh129.2 million. But the project stalled after the contractor abandoned the site.

According to the authority’s 2021/2022 audited accounts, construction had reached only 58 per cent before the contractor demobilized equipment in April 2022. Ruto previously announced plans to close the airstrip In August 2023, Ruto announced plans to decommission Suneka Airstrip, citing insufficient land for the Kenya Airports Authority to undertake the required expansion.

The announcement dealt a major blow to residents and local leaders who had pushed for years to have the facility upgraded. However, the government later changed direction. In August 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that the government was moving to recommission the airstrip following consultations between Ruto and Gusii leaders.

Ogamba said the President had directed leaders to review the facility’s status and facilitate the resumption of construction. The revival efforts received another boost in July 2026 when Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo announced that a new contractor had taken over the stalled project. Omollo said the previous contractor had encountered challenges and that the necessary documentation had been completed to allow construction to resume.