Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has claimed that the controversial Indian conglomerate Adani Group is not only seeking control of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) but also aiming to take over all nine Kenyan airports.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Onyonka said he had received documents from “individuals of good faith” indicating that Adani is looking to secure a complete takeover of the country’s airport infrastructure. “How do we take Ksh. 258 billion ($2 billion) and give it to one company which is going to do something for our country, and we don’t know what it is except from a few people?” he questioned.
“The problem with Adani is that they are not only targeting JKIA; they are actually targeting the entire infrastructure of all our nine airports,” he added.
Onyonka further suggested that Adani is also interested in taking over the country’s geothermal power sector, with ongoing negotiations aimed at seizing control of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) and the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN). He called for the establishment of a special commission to thoroughly investigate the controversial deal, which has sparked public outcry and increased skepticism towards the government.
“The Adani case is a true representation of our failure as leadership, where our natural resources are being handed over to individuals who are least interested in understanding how we feel,” Onyonka remarked.
This statement follows Onyonka’s presentation of new evidence during a Senate committee hearing, where Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi was summoned to explain the Adani controversy. Onyonka introduced letters from three companies that had expressed interest in the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) but were reportedly ignored.
He argued that KAA insisted only Adani had shown interest and that their proposal was the only one considered. A heated exchange ensued between Onyonka and Mbadi, with Onyonka asserting that the letters had indeed been received by KAA, while Mbadi maintained that no correspondence had been sent to the Treasury regarding any company other than Adani.
Kenya is looking to secure a deal with the controversial investor Adani Group through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that would grant Adani operational control of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for 30 years.
After aviation workers staged a shutdown strike on September 11, the government agreed to give them veto power over the Adani deal. As a result, no agreement will be signed without their participation and approval.
In response to the workers’ demands, the official documents of the proposed deal have been provided to them, granting a 10-day period to review the details and raise any concerns.
Meanwhile, the government has struggled to clarify the terms of the deal, and the documents have yet to be made public.
