President William Ruto has expressed frustration over delays in upgrading the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), attributing the setback to the cancellation of the Adani Group deal.
He criticized Kenyans who opposed the project, accusing them of hindering progress without offering viable alternatives.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Devki Iron Processing Project in Taita Taveta County, a visibly agitated President Ruto lamented the opposition to the Ksh.260 billion investment.
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The deal, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, would have facilitated the airport’s modernization.
The President called out critics for focusing on insults and resisting his administration’s policies rather than contributing constructive solutions to national development.
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“The people who don’t want to invest anything in them, we glorify them as if they were something. I saw them saying that those who stopped the upgrading of our airport are heroes, mashujaa kitu gani? Airport pale iko kwa runway, inafuja maji, yetu hapa Kenya sijui ni ya aina gani,” the President ranted.
“What gain do you get when you stop the building of an airport in your country? You have no clue how it’s going to be built, wale wanapinga, ata hawajai kanyaga airport, unapinga tu.”
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The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to upgrading the airport to meet international standards, expressing confidence that the Adani Group would have delivered high-quality results.
“We are going to build a new airport in Kenya. We may have stopped Adani from building it I was confident he was going to build our airports but because of the law that bars us from engaging with people who have cases,” he said.
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“That doesn’t mean we’re not going to build airport, we’re going to build a new framework and work with people who believe in this country to get a new airport.”
On November 21, 2024, President Ruto terminated the Adani deals after reports from the United States government alleged that Gautam Adani, chair of the Indian conglomerate, paid Ksh.30 billion in bribes to secure solar energy supply contracts in India.
The Adani-PPP deal faced significant public backlash over its lack of transparency. The controversy escalated after whistleblower Nelson Amenya shared documents online, questioning the government’s decision to bypass a competitive bidding process in favor of Adani.
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Public opposition grew further upon learning that the conglomerate also planned to venture into other sectors in Kenya, including energy and healthcare, sparking concerns over its influence and intentions.
