Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Upgrading & Rehabilitation Project

 The ITF Grant will be used for

1) the financing of technical assistance  and capacity for project implementation;

2) Kenyan Airports Authority (KAA) environmental activities;

3) Capacity building for the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kenya Wildlife Services for a professional assessment of the project.

Air transport has become increasingly important to the economy of Kenya. The aviation sector in Kenya has had significant growth in the recent past, both in tourism and cargo. Kenya Airways, the national carrier, has the biggest route network in sub-Saharan Africa, ensuring their dominant position in providing essential regional air transport services. JKIA is the sixth busiest airport in Africa, and is an important regional hub, currently serving 32 destinations in the African continent.  However, the current airport was originally designed for an annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers and presently handles almost double that volume. The JKIA Extension Project aims at increasing the design capacity to 9.3 million annual passengers and providing improved security in order to comply with International Civil Aviation Authority standards. 

The total project cost is estimated at an equivalent of 184 million Euros and will be financed through Kenya Airport Authority's own funds and loan facilities from the AFD, the EIB and the World Bank. 

Due to the complexity of the project, as well as potential environmental issues, a number of areas will greatly benefit from technical assistance and capacity building which will be financed by the ITF Grant.  Areas to be addressed in the framework of this technical assistance are: 

• Support to the Project management so to minimise the impact on existing operations and to allow for proper monitoring of the project spending and technical monitoring related to the different contracts.
• Financial monitoring for the development of regular financial reporting systems and regular update of the corporate financial model.
• KAA Environmental activities covering areas like the measurement and monitoring of air pollutants, the assessment of aviation activities on wildlife and natural habitats and assistance in implementing environmental management systems at KAA airports
• National Environment Management Authority (NEMA): provision of targeted technical capacity building in the area of aeronautical project development to ensure air, noise and air quality regulations are adequately implemented.
• Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS): additional capacity building for monitoring and measuring the effects of increased air traffic on the local flora and fauna. This can be in the area of both noise and pollution.