KENYA: Raila Odinga Says Nation Lost Key Chance To Upgrade Jomo Kenyatta International Airport After Adani Deal Collapse

       By Lisbeth Micheni Kenya 

Orange Democratic Movement leader  Raila Odinga has criticized the government’s decision to cancel the multi-billion shilling Adani Group agreement to renovate Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), calling it a missed chance to elevate Kenya’s aviation infrastructure.

Addressing attendees at the 3rd National Executive Retreat in Nairobi on Friday, Odinga expressed frustration that political interference continues to block transformative development projects. He recalled that a similar plan for a new terminal had been scrapped back in 2012 during his tenure in the grand coalition government with former President Mwai Kibaki.

“I was deeply disappointed when the airport deal was halted. This was not the first time such a project has been abandoned. The same contractor had been engaged earlier, then dropped, and once again we’ve lost out due to political interference,” Odinga lamented.

He emphasized that Nairobi risks falling behind other regional hubs like Addis Ababa, where Ethiopia is already investing in a new large-scale airport. “Ethiopian Airlines is now dominating the continent. Kenya Airways could compete if we matched that level of infrastructure, but we’re not moving,” he added.

President William Ruto called off the deal in November 2024 following backlash linked to Adani Group’s chairman, Gautam Adani, who was facing corruption allegations abroad. The United States government had accused Adani of offering roughly Ksh.30 billion in bribes to secure energy contracts.

Following the scandal, Ruto directed the Transport and Energy ministries to terminate all related contracts and begin sourcing new private sector partners. During his State of the Nation address, the President cited credible intelligence from both local and international agencies to justify the move.

Adani had offered to inject Ksh.260 billion into JKIA’s modernization over a 30-year period and separately finance national power transmission projects with an additional Ksh.95 billion all under a Public-Private Partnership model.

Odinga warned that without strategic investments like this, Kenya risks losing its edge as a regional gateway.