President William Ruto has issued a directive for the immediate termination of all agreements involving the Adani Group.
This includes the existing deal between KETRACO and the Adani Group, as well as the proposed takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
“Honourable members I have stated in past and now reiterated today that in the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption I will not hesitate to take decisive action,” Ruto said.
“Accordingly, I now direct in furtherance of principles enshrined in Article 10 of the constitution on transparency and accountability and based on new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations, that the procuring agencies in the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA expansion private-public-partnerships,” Ruto said.
The President instructed the relevant ministries to “immediately initiate the process of onboarding new partners, as these are critical projects.” His directive was met with cheers and applause from members of both the Senate and National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Adani Group has come under scrutiny following allegations of fraud against its billionaire owner, Gautam Adani, in the United States. According to reports, criminal charges were filed on Wednesday in New York, where prosecutors accused Adani and other senior executives of bribing Indian officials to secure renewable energy contracts projected to generate over $2 billion in profits over two decades.
The Adani Group has denied the accusations, describing them as “baseless” and vowing to pursue “all possible legal remedies.”
In Kenya, controversy surrounds the Energy Ministry’s recent Sh96 billion agreement with Adani Energy Solutions Limited. Signed on October 11, the deal grants Adani a 30-year contract to manage the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (Ketraco) transmission line. Under the agreement, the company would develop, finance, construct, and operate critical transmission infrastructure across the country.
However, on October 25, the High Court in Nairobi issued conservatory orders halting the deal’s implementation and barring Adani from entering into any new agreements or progressing existing ones. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) had sought the orders, labeling the agreement “a constitutional sham” that lacked transparency and violated principles of integrity.
Adding to the controversy, another proposed deal involving Adani Group’s takeover of operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for 30 years in exchange for Sh238 billion has sparked significant public outcry.
MORE TO FOLLOW…..
