Public outrage has intensified over a controversial Sh180 billion proposal to lease the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to India’s Adani Group under a long-term concession arrangement that critics say lacks transparency and adequate public participation.
The proposed deal, reportedly structured as a Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP), would see the foreign investor take over management and expansion of Kenya’s main international airport for a period of 30 years. The government has defended the project as a strategic move aimed at modernising the country’s aviation infrastructure and boosting passenger capacity.
According to details surrounding the proposal, the project would be implemented in two phases. The first phase focuses on upgrading existing passenger terminals, digitising airport operations and expanding parking facilities to raise handling capacity to 12 million passengers within 18 months. The second phase includes construction of a new 4,500-metre parallel runway and a 230,000-square-metre passenger terminal expected to accommodate an additional 10 million travellers annually.
However, the project has sparked widespread criticism from civil society organisations, legal experts and political figures who argue that the process has bypassed procurement safeguards and public accountability measures.
Among the concerns raised are allegations that the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has faced pressure to surrender the 11,600-acre JKIA title deed to facilitate financing arrangements tied to the project. Questions have also emerged over reports that KAA approved legal consultancy payments amounting to Sh160 million—far above earlier projected legal costs.
Critics further accuse government officials of accelerating the transaction despite mounting public resistance and calls for greater transparency.
As debate continues, legal challenges are expected to shape the future of the proposed concession, with opponents insisting that any decision involving a strategic national asset should undergo full public scrutiny and comply with established procurement and public-private partnership laws.
Source Attributed:Nation Paper