President William Ruto announced on January 16, 2026, during a meeting with His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, in Karen, Nairobi County, that construction of a new world-class airport will begin this year.
The project aims to modernize Kenya’s aviation sector, establishing the country as a regional hub for tourism, business, and investment.
It will ease congestion at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by expanding annual passenger capacity from 88 million to 100 million, while boosting trade, security, and economic integration.
This aligns with Ruto’s Ksh.5 trillion development plan to advance Kenya toward first-world status.
The facility is planned for Konza Technopolis and will feature new terminals, runways, and aircraft bays. Estimated cost is Sh.264 billion (approximately $1.63 billion).
The announcement follows the 2024 cancellation of a disputed expansion deal with India’s Adani Group.
In an update on January 17, 2026, at a United Democratic Alliance grassroots meeting in Nyeri
“The airport has been a problem in this country, by the fourth or fifth month of this year, we will have started building a new airport. This is because we must change the country” he said.
The airport, according to the president, is part of a larger infrastructure initiative, including a 700 km highway from Isiolo to Mandera and extensions of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu, Malaba, and Uganda, slated to begin in February 2026.
