The National Lands Commission (NLC) is set to forcefully acquire 44.7 hectares of land for expansion of Angama Airstrip located within the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Gershom Otachi said the State will make a compulsory acquisition of the tract of land owned by Manati Limited.
“The National Land Commission on behalf of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) gives notice that the National Government intends to acquire 44.7 hectares required for the rehabilitation and expansion of Angama Airstrip Project,” he said in a notice on Friday.
The Angama airstrip services several high-end tourism resorts within the popular Mara Triangle where herds of the annual Great Migration enter and exit the Maasai Mara National Reserve from the Serengenti National Park in Tanzania.
This makes the area a prime viewing spot for the world-renowned wildlife spectacle.
The upgrade of the airstrip will enable it to handle larger-capacity aircraft and boost connectivity to exclusive resorts such Angama Mara, Little Governors, Mara Serena, Bateleur Camp, and Kichwa Tembo among others.
Currently, only chartered planes can access the facilities. It mainly serves Mara Angama Lodge, Mara West Camp, and other neighbouring lodges and camps.
“The plan is to expand the airstrip to modern standards to increase traffic inflows into the Masai Mara Game Reserve,” said KAA Wilson Airport and Northern region Airports manager Joseph Okumu.
The agency plans to expand Angama airstrip runway to 2.5km to accommodate larger commercial aircraft and has already tendered for the project.
The government embarked on an aggressive drive to upgrade airports and airstrips to unlock the potential of counties and enhance connectivity to other regions.
KAA in 2018 set aside Sh691 million for the upgrade of six airstrips in counties to meet the rising need for domestic air travel.
