Flamingo Sculpture at Tampa International Airport
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Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika on Wednesday, May 31, voiced her admiration for the 22-foot high sculpture of a flamingo installed at Tampa International Airport in the US.
She expressed plans to install a similar structure at Lanet Airstrip in Nakuru due to its association with the flamingoes found at Lake Naivasha, which fascinates both local and international visitors. In December 2020, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) kicked off the upgrading of Lanet Airstrip in Nakuru County. The 18-month-long project was designed to bolster the existing Lanet Airbase's ability to accommodate both commercial and cargo air transportation, thus making it a dual military-civilian facility.
The first phase of this venture involved setting up a 1.7 km by 23m wide Bitumen Runway, Taxiways, a Military Apron, a Terminal Building and a Lounge. Kihika implored Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to embrace the sculpture design during the rehabilitation of the Lanet Airport in Nakuru.
"I love this, Kipchumba Murkomen; let's do this! Flamingoes are synonymous with Nakuru. This is cool," she stated.
An American social practice artist Matthew Mazzotta created each component of the flamingo design by hand and fashioned them out of polyester resin and fibreglass composite. He then painted it to make it look and feel realistic. A series of rubber rings are installed around the feet and head to resemble the water ripples on the ground that helps those with sight issues navigate around the sculpture.
The US government finished the installation in 2022, incurring a cost of Ksh 72 million. The sculpture offers incredible photo opportunities for tourists who appreciate the symbol of Tampa Bay.
Comments
Be creative, governor. Stop copy pasting, though its a good thing for the beautiful city of Nakuru. As one of our leaders, please also copy-paste how American authorities use the tax collected from citizens in order fix local infrastructure, not to enrich individuals in government. Please, please.Then let us know how our leaders will respond to that, Ms. Susan. Thank you in advance.
Priorities, priorities..
Please for the love of God first feed the nation. USA can afford that luxury not Kenya. Please use common sense (Hard sense for some of us). Kenyans wake up and stop electing people born with silver spoons in their mouth.
Will this flamingo sculpture be made of gold? Ksh 72 million is alot of money for Kenyans to pay for such sculpture which can be made locally for less than Ksh 10,000. Give me the contract and I will do it for less than Ksh 5,000. You see, Kenyans can be easily deceived because they don't know what is up. Kihika knows what she is doing and in her mind it's not about a flamongo sculpture bring beauty to Nakuru but the amount of money she can make out of the idea. An worker in Florida gets paid between Ksh 6,000 and Ksh 10,000 an hour whereas in Kenya the highest airport worker an airport gets paid Ksh 25,000 a month. There is literally no comparison and knows that. This Kihika scam compares to Sonko's scams while he was governor of Nairobi. Remember the incident the where he was soliciting Ksh 500,000,000(yes, five hundered million)to kill Nairobi stray dogs? In that scerio Nairobians were to pay Ksh 100,000 for each Nairobi stray dog killed and burried. Wake up Kenyans!!!! we are being taken for fools!!!!!
Susan Kihika's priorities for Nakuru County residents is warped. I don't know anyone on top of my head that flies into Lanet airport, probably dignitaries and other VIPs. We do not need a $700,000 flamingo sculpture, not just at that airstrip, but anywhere else in the county. There are more pressing matters that need to be addressed especially the congestion within Nakuru town.
nonsense
We have a big problem in gabbage collection in Nakuru and most streets and even feeder roads are terrible. Why would a leader think of such an idea for such amount? Our Kenyan sculptors can do it for less that ksh 30,000. Its absurd to think of 72m going to a foreigner to make a flamingo sculpture. Think of Nakuru referral hospital or equipping molo hospital than a useless sculpture. Think of more bursaries for oor children. By the way you were not elected to think about copying and paste sort of issues.
Right on point brah. She should even think of using locally available materials, besides using local sculptors, not just copy-pasting what other people are doing
Really??
I know of a school for the disabled kids in Lanet, Nakuru that doesn’t have a van or bus to take them to and from school!
I know of hungry kids and unemployed youths in Lanet, Nakuru!
But the governor is blind to this!
Instead, she has millions to invest on a sculpture!!!
Bure kabisa!
But I don’t blame her, she was born with a silver spoon up her rare end!!!
This gov Kihika should give that contract of designing a similar famingo/s to our local jua kali artisans they can do it. Tusiende kupatia contract watu wa inje.