Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday presided over the launch of the first commercial flight route by Skyward Express from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Kakamega town.
The inaugural flight to the town happened less than a week after President William Samoei Ruto commissioned the newly rehabilitated Kakamega Airstrip last Friday, December 9, 2022.
According to the DP, the people of Western have, for a long time, requested for flights to the town owing to its growth over time both as a commercial and education hub.
The DP also praised the growing partnership with the private sector, including airline operators, reiterating the Kenya Kwanza government’s commitment to continue improving the country’s business environment.
“This new policy of continuous engagement is what is going to make things move in this country. The leaders of Western Kenya have been asking for this for many years but were not given an ear. This is happening less than a week after the President listened to them,” said the DP.
While reminiscing the challenges he faced while travelling to the region years back when he served as a District Officer in Kakamega, the Deputy President said the flight would make it easy for travellers and businesspeople to commute between the town and the city.
“Air transport is no longer a luxury for the chosen few, it is now a necessity to ease the cost of doing business and make it easy and convenient to travel. I would like to urge the people of Western Kenya to make use of this airline so that it grows so we don’t have one daily flight but many. There are many business opportunities in Western Kenya,” he said.
He also said the Kenya Kwanza administration is keen to enable air transport across most counties to make it easy for people to do business and to open up more tourism opportunities.
“This will enable Kenyans to move faster and save time for other productive engagements,” he added.
The DP was accompanied by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and leaders from the Western region.
