Why Kenya Airways has increased flights to Kisumu this weekend
Kenya Airways has announced an increase in flights to Kisumu over the weekend to accommodate the surge in travel demand ahead of the funeral of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Kenya Airways has announced an increase in flights to Kisumu over the weekend to accommodate the surge in travel demand ahead of the funeral of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In a statement on Friday, October 17, the airline said it has deployed additional flights and upgraded some aircraft to support Kenyans traveling to the lakeside city for the occasion.
“We’ve increased our flight frequency to Kisumu over the weekend to accommodate the high travel demand,” the statement read.
According to the updated schedule, two additional flights have been introduced for Friday, October 17, namely KQ656 at 1330 hours and KQ658 at 1900 hours.
On Saturday, October 18, an extra early-morning flight KQ650 at 0650 hours has been added, while KQ654 at 0805 hours has been upgraded to a larger Boeing 737 aircraft to cater to more passengers.
The adjustments continue into Sunday, October 19, when KQ654 (0805 hours) and KQ671 (1900 hours) will both operate using Boeing 737 aircraft, enhancing capacity for those returning to or from Kisumu.
On Monday, the carrier confirmed that KQ654 and KQ670 flights will also be upgraded to Boeing 737, ensuring continued efficiency for travelers.
This comes a day after the Ministry of Health deployed 36 ambulances to provide emergency medical coverage during Raila’s reception.
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In a statement on Thursday, October 16, the ministry said the ambulances were equipped with basic life support (BLS) and advanced life-saving support (ALS).
The ambulances would also have a qualified paramedic, nurse, and driver to ensure effective on-site response when necessary.
Oluga also noted that a Port Health ambulance would remain on standby at JKIA to provide supplementary medical support and coordinate with other responding teams.
Further, the Medical Services PS said mobilization efforts were ongoing to ensure full emergency medical coverage in Kisumu and Siaya Counties as national arrangements continue.
“The Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, has announced the mobilization of thirty-six (36) ambulances to provide emergency medical coverage during the reception of the body of the Late Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on October 16, 2025.
“Dr. Oluga noted that each ambulance is fully equipped with Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) facilities and staffed with a paramedic, nurse, and driver, ensuring effective on-site emergency response and safe patient evacuation when necessary,” read the statement in part.
The deployed ambulances include contributions from Kenya Red Cross (20), St. John Ambulance (4), Nairobi Disaster Service (3), Nairobi Emergency Services (8) and Kenyatta National Hospital (1).
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