Gachagua: I Spent Six Hours Travelling To Kakamega As District Officer

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, December 14 revealed how painful it was for him to travel between Nairobi and Kakamega when he was a District Officer (DO).

He was speaking during the launch of the Nairobi to Kakamega direct flights whereby passengers will be taking off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi and landing at the Kakamega Airstrip.

Gachagua lamented that the journey was at times gruelling given that he was driving for six hours between the two towns, getting to Kakamega for example when he was very fatigued.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua with passengers a flight from Wilson Airport to Kakamega on December 14, 2022. /FACEBOOK.RIGATHI GACHAGUA

“There was a period I worked in Kakamega while my family lived in Nairobi. It was so tiring as I would drive for six hours.

"By the time I'm arriving at Kakamega, I would be very tired. It is actually cheap to travel to Kakamega by air than by road,” he narrated.

While delivering President William Ruto's message, Gachagua expressed hope that the Kenya Kwanza government would fulfil its promises to Western Kenya residents.

This, he added, was done by striking a deal between the government and a private airline to facilitate the direct flights between the two major towns, especially Kakamega owing to its growth over time both as a commercial and education hub. 

“The president went out of his way to reach out to the private flight company for a partnership for the sake of Western Kenya.

“The leadership and people of Western Kenya have been crying for many years but no one has ever given them an ear. Less than a week after Ruto listened to them, this has happened today," he expressed.

Gachagua revealed that President Ruto tasked Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen to ensure that every county or neighbouring counties in Kenya would access domestic flights for ease of business operations and boost tourism activities.

“The president has asked CS Murkomen to make sure that at the end of the term to have opened commercial flights to every county or neighbouring counties for easy business operations and travel,” the DP reported.

He added that air transport is no longer a luxury for the chosen few but a necessity to ease the cost of doing business and make it easy and convenient to travel, thus encouraging Kenyans to make use of it.

Truth be told, flights to Kakamega from Nairobi are affordable, with one of the local transport companies charging Ksh5,990 for a one-way ticket from Nairobi to Kakamega, a matter which has led to an increase in flight bookings.

Other companies range their airfares between Ksh5,999 to Ksh7,999, cheaper compared to rates that forced Western Kenya travellers to connect via Kisumu International Airport.

Passengers bound for Kakamega are advised to arrive at Wilson Airport at least one hour before departure. Normally, passengers arrive at the airport two hours before departure on consideration of Nairobi city traffic among other factors.

Passengers board an aircraft at Kakamega Airstrip. /METROPOL TV

Because of Kakamega airstrip being just that- an airstrip, small commercial aircraft ply the route, meaning no aircraft land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), as compared to their counterparts at Kisumu Airport which are medium-sized and capable of landing at JKIA.

The flight from Nairobi to Kakamega covers a distance of around 288 kilometres, of around 40 minutes. The newly renovated Kakamega Airport will directly generate employment opportunities within the airlines, within the supply chain in the transportation of goods and services and air navigation services providers as well as airport operators.