Pilot breathes life into sleepy Nanyuki airstrip

Corporate News

Jamie Roberts with one of his helicopters. He is based at the Nanyuki Airstrip, which serves the tourism sector in northern Kenya. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI 

By SOLOMON MBURU

In the early 1990s the Nanyuki airstrip was a simple grass stretch with a beaten runway, a single shack and no fencing.

It attracted little interest save for the occasional aircraft making a landing or herders grazing goats in its overgrown grass.

Its lonely state was a mirror of the region’s slow economy. But winds of change were blowing in the distance, bringing with them a tide of developments that would soon wake the sleepy airstrip and town.

Only a person with a keen eye could see the coming change. Jamie Roberts, a career pilot, saw it and knew just how to position himself. For him, no place seemed better than this neglected airstrip.

“I could see there was an opportunity of opening up Northern Kenya and there was no other operator,” said Mr Roberts.

Armed with this vision he set up base at the airstrip with the single aircraft he owned at the time.

The capital-intensive nature of aircraft operations would make many investors shy away from such a decision in favour of more active spots like Wilson Airport. But Mr Roberts was determined to take the risk.

He fenced off the airfield, put in place security, carried out ground maintenance and did repairs on the runway. He then built an office for his new air charter company, Tropic Air, a hangar and an aircraft maintenance facility.

Finally a new vibrant economy was ushered in supported by tourism, horticulture and real estate.

In 20 years, Laikipia moved from an insignificant rangeland to a high-end destination, with premium facilities that attracted high profile guests including royalty.

From six tourist facilities in the whole of Laikipia, there came up more than 40 fixed and mobile tourist facilities.

As tourist numbers grew, so did the prominence of the Nanyuki airstrip as it became the gateway to Laikipia and northern Kenya.

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In time Mr Roberts added a bar and restaurant to serve jet-lagged travellers with refreshments and washroom facilities.

As more aircraft landed at the airstrip Mr Roberts added a state-of-the-art hangar, aircraft fuelling and maintenance facilities.

The airstrip has one of the best maintenance facilities outside Nairobi and is internationally certified by Oil and Gas Standards and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

Currently the airstrip handles an average of 2,500 landings per year and more than 15,000 passengers.

The 45 hectare airstrip located 9km from Nanyuki town is also used as the first port of call for Kenya Wildlife Service mountain air rescue operations.

High profile visitors who have used the airstrip on visits to the region have also boosted its visibility.

Its success has attracted other commercial aircraft operators, and today Air Kenya, Safari Link and SAX carry out scheduled flights linking Nanyuki to Nairobi, Lewa, Laikipia, Samburu, Meru and the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The local economy has benefited greatly, with 60 locals finding employment around the airstrip.

For Mr Roberts, he says the main benefit has been getting a good facility to operate from that meets KCAA standards.

Fortunes for the airstrip are soon to get better as the Kenya Airports Authority is set to carry out major refurbishment to improve the runway to modern specifications and extend it from the current 1.2km to 1.4km.

This will allow larger aircraft such as the 40-seater Dash 8 to land. The runway currently handles light single engine and some larger twin aircraft such as Twin Otters and King Air.

Initial assessment and tendering for the project has already been carried out and the successful bidder has moved some machinery onto the site. 

“The works will not be easy because they will have to rehabilitate the airstrip without closing operations,” said Mr Roberts.

Realtors have been closely following these developments and the price of land in the airstrip’s vicinity has inadvertently moved up. An acre of land that 10 years ago was going for Sh30,000 ten years ago is now selling at Sh4.5 million. 

Mr Roberts calls on other operators to move from congested airports and invest in the many airstrips found across the country. This, he says, would support government efforts to improve and maintain airport facilities throughout the country.

However, operating outside major hubs like Nairobi is not without its challenges.

“We have to transport all our fuel and spare parts here after we buy them from Nairobi. Whenever we need inspectors to visit us we have to arrange for their transport,” noted Mr Roberts.

 But despite all these, Tropic Air has grown from the single aircraft he began with in the early 1990s to a fleet of five fixed wing aircraft and four helicopters, growing to become one of Kenya’s most recognised air charter and helicopter companies.