PRESS RELEASE

KAA in Efforts to Boost Tourism in Lamu

NAIROBI NOVEMBER 22, 2013 – Kenya Airports Authority is for the 6th year running sponsoring the annual Lamu Cultural Festival. The event, which is running from the 21st to the 24th of November, seeks to celebrate the unique heritage of the Lamu archipelago. The annual festival offers a fascinating insight into life on the island.

This year, KAA has sponsored the Dhow and Donkey races at a tune of KSHs. 400,000. The authority’s Board Chairman, Prof. Mutuma Mugambi is expected to flag off the two races slated to take place on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Scheduled flights landing at Manda Airstrip in the island are in full capacity as visitors throng the region for the festival. The airstrip’s Officer in Charge, Mr. Mohamed Lippi noted that the strip records almost 200 passengers daily with efforts underway to increase its capacity.

“We recently opened our new terminal and works are currently going to extend our Runway from 1 Kilometer to 2Kilometers. This move is expected to bring in more flights into Lamu and in turn boost tourism in the region.” Said Mr. Lippi.

According to Mr. Lippi, Major airlines including Kenya Airways have asked to start flying to the archipelago with the completion of the runway project which is now 96% complete.

Apart from the Lamu Cultural Festival, KAA also supports the island’s Maulidi Festival, a celebration of both the past and the future, and the beliefs and traditions that are the heart and soul of the community. In a bid to give back to the island’s community, the authority through its CSR program has so far built a computer lab for Manda Primary School and a Library at Swarfar Academy at a total cost of KSH 500,000.

Lamu Cultural Festival is a vibrant display of island life in East Africa’s oldest town. The coastal settlement is listed by UNESCO as a prestigious World Heritage site and is one of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa with a unique heritage dating back over 700 years.

Ends …..

About KAA

The Kenya Airports Authority is an autonomous body established in 1991 through an Act of Parliament and is charged with an umbrella responsibility of providing and managing a coordinated system of airports in Kenya. KAA manages 4 International airports, 4 domestic airports and several airstrips. The main airports managed by KAA are:-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Moi International Airport (MIA), Eldoret International Airport (EIA) and Kisumu International Airport (KIA). All the airports handled a total of 8 million passengers in the year 2012 with JKIA, the flagship currently handling 6 million passengers per annum. JKIA which directly contributes about 10.9% of GDP is currently undergoing expansion and rehabilitation that will see it handle 9 million passengers by end 2013.

For further information please contact Dominic Ngigi, Corporate Affairs Manager, Kenya Airports Authority. Email: Dominic.Ngigi@kaa.go.ke OR visit www.kaa.go.ke.