Chinese Company Starts Sh960 Million Facelift of JKIA Terminals

The refurbishment of terminals 1B and 1C at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi has kicked off.

The facelift of the two terminals is being done by Chinese engineering company, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation at a cost of Sh960 million.

The launch of construction works comes after the Procurement Administrative Review Board gave the tendering process a clean bill, following complaints filed by other bidders.

Some of the 15 companies that were rivaling China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation for the contract challenged its selection, arguing that procurement guidelines were flouted.

But the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) insists that the Chinese company won the tender after following due process.

“We awarded the tender to this Chinese firm after successfully bidding for it,” said KAA acting managing-director, Alex Gitari.

The one-year-long project involves refurbishing departure halls to improve the check-in, security screening, retail operations, and passenger lounge experiences.

The renovation is expected to ease passenger flow by increasing the efficiency of airport procedures.

“The refurbishment and facelift of the terminals aim to align the passenger experiences to match what is offered at terminal 1A. The remodeling project is an integral part of the ongoing JKIA Customer Service Improvement Plan (CSIP),” said Gitari.

The two terminals serve international passengers on minor carriers at JKIA and have been closed for one year to pave the way for the renovation.

Airlines operating on the two terminals were temporarily relocated to terminal 1A and terminal 2. Travelers moved to the alternative terminals are required to arrive at the airport four hours before departure.

JKIA handles about 10 million passengers annually, making it one of the busiest airports on the continent.