Kenya Insights

Tag: Adani Airports Holdings Limited

  • David Ndii At The Center Of Controversial JKIA-Adani Deal, Court Documents Reveal

    David Ndii At The Center Of Controversial JKIA-Adani Deal, Court Documents Reveal

    The government could have been quietly engaging Adani Group to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for over a year, fresh details have emerged in court.

    In a case where President William Ruto’s principal economic advisor David Ndii is named as a person who had been aware of the deal, it is alleged that the Indian conglomerate through Adani Airports Holding Ltd – had on April 25, 2023, submitted to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) a privately initiated proposal (PIP) for development of JKIA under public-private partnership arrangement.

    According to Tony Gachoka, Jubilee Party, Wiper Party, Democratic Action Party Kenya (DAP-K) and Mount Kenya, Adani PIP was copied to Ndii, the National Treasury and the Ministry of Roads and Transport.

    However, Gachoka’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru claims that they remained tight-lipped about the deal until this year when Adani allegedly floated its PIP.

    Adani in its case claimed that it floated the idea to refurbish JKIA on March 1, 2024, after seeing the deteriorating state of the international airport in the media.

    However, the Njiru alleged that the deal was being worked backwards in order to favour the firm. He argued that the idea to directly procure the construction of a new passenger terminal at JKIA was done with the Adani Group in mind.

    The lawyer alleged that through a contract dated December 13, 2023, KAA  procured advisory services for the construction of a new passenger terminal building at JKIA.

    He told the court the team recommended an Airport PPP as opposed to a terminals PIP as the most beneficial to Kenya.

    President William Ruto’s adviser David Ndii.

    “Unsurprisingly, on March 1, 2024, the second respondent submitted to the KAA its PIP for the development of JKIA under PPP arrangements. On the same day, the JKIA submitted the said proposal to the 9th respondent PS Mohammed Daghar who on the same day submitted the proposal to the PS National Treasury Chris Kiptoo. The petitioners earnestly believe these activities did not take place on 1 March 2024 as demonstrated,” argued Ndegwa.

    The court heard that contrary to the government’s claim that Adani was the only firm interested in developing JKIA, other firms had floated their proposals. The lawyer claimed that Abu Dhabi, China Road and Bridge Corporation and Motar Etgil Africa/Corporation America JV had proposed to develop JKIA through PPP. He said that despite the documents being before KAA), the government never disclosed them same to the public.

    “By a further letter dated June 12, 2023, referencing “Proposed Construction of a Second Runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) the 9th respondent  PS Mohamed Daghar stated that the KAA had not formally submitted the PIP submitted by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd and their preliminary appraisal of the same,” claimed Ndegwa..
    He further claimed that PIP for JKIA submitted by Adani is lopsided and subversive of Kenya’s public interest.

    Ndegwa said that despite the government drumming up for the firm to take over JKIA for 30 years, no one can put a finger on how much Adani had invested or will pump to the project.

    The lawyer alleged that the Indian firm is being gifted JKIA without paying a penny.

    “Adani Group PIP does not specify the exact amount to be invested despite the fact that investment is the principal criterion for PPP under the 2011 Policy on PPPs and subsequent legislations. For all practical purposes, the existing and potential revenue of JKIA are simply being transferred to the 2nd Respondent and its undisclosed Kenyan partners to invest for their private gain. This is a clear case of sovereign robbery,” claimed Ndegwa.

    The court heard that the government is going against a 2019 Parliament report that shielded JKIA from privatization or control by foreigners.

  • Whistleblower Names KNH Chairman Samier Muravvej As Part Of Local Indian Cartel Behind JKIA Takeover Deal With Adani Group

    Whistleblower Names KNH Chairman Samier Muravvej As Part Of Local Indian Cartel Behind JKIA Takeover Deal With Adani Group

    The whistleblower of the controversial Adani Group secret deal for the takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has named Dr. Samier Muravvej, Board Chairman, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), as one of the key players who’s silently facilitating the hostile takeover of the airport, an issue that has dominated national conversation since the protests.

    Nelson Amenya, the whistleblower, places Dr. Samier at a key role in what he describes as an ‘Indian Syndicate’ working with the Adani Group to takeover the operations of the airport.

    Dr. Samier is not new to controversies, as portrayed by his tenure at the national healthcare facility. Recently, he was linked to a multimillion-dollar oxygen tender row that saw the key infrastructure stalled amid war with corrupt CEO Dr. Evans Kamuri, who’s under EACC investigation for looting the hospital millions.

    During an appearance in parliament, it emerged Dr. Samier had conflict of interest in the oxygen plant tender as he had his own preferred suppliers.

    Insiders also accuse him of flaunting procurement procedures and more than often brings in his own suppliers and has placed himself as a cartel boss rather than a chairman of the facility.

    Aaron Cheruiyot

    Back to the JKIA saga, Kericho Senator has also been named as the man who brokered the controversial deal and the link to Dr. Samier. During a live interview with KTN on Wednesday, Amenya revealed the unholy relationship between the two and untold details about the behind-the-scenes of the Adani deal.

    “I am the one who shared the documents with politicians. Nobody, including Senator Onyonka, knows anything about this deal except Aaron Cheruiyot, who is the broker in this deal, and he was the one who went to India, met with Adani, and brought Adani to Kenya.” Amenya said.

    “I am challenging Aaron Cheruiyot to come and say I’m lying that he didn’t go to India and that he doesn’t know the KNH chairman takes him to the airport, picks him, and all this Indian syndicate that he is working with. He should come out and say that this is false.” He went further.

    More revelations

    One of the key fears of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) staff with the Adani deal has been loss of jobs after takeover. While the group has tried to allay fears, Amenya didn’t have kind words for them: “Basically, everything I have talked about on my X account is what they will find in these documents. They will find that Adani proposes to KAA that they (Adani) will reduce the workforce exponentially because obviously governments all over the world employ too many people and sometimes they are not working, which also happens in Kenya. What Adani is asking KAA is to allow them to trim the team. They even put in that proposal that KAA needs to look for departments to redeploy because they will let go of those people from JKIA.”

    The Adani Group Deal

    The plan for airport takeover involves leasing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Adani Group for 30 years in exchange for $1.85 billion of investment by Adani into the airport’s expansion.

    However, the deal shrouded in secrecy sparked anger among Kenyans and triggered a strike last week by the country’s aviation workers. Earlier, Gen Z protesters had dared to storm and takeover the airport following the reports of the takeover.

    The Adani Group operates seven airports in India and has often faced criticism from Indian opposition parties for winning favours from ruling governments. Indian officials and the Adani Group have denied such accusations.

    Kenya is struggling with a high debt load accumulated from years of splurging on infrastructure.

    A proposal by the government to hike taxes to generate extra money needed for debt repayments sparked deadly protests recently and forced the government to rescind the proposal.

    The plan involves leasing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Adani Group for 30 years in exchange for billions of shillings of investment by Adani into the airport’s expansion.

    According to senators, the controversial takeover of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Indian tycoon Adani is a done deal, according to the Senate.

    This emerged when senators disapproved of the 30-year proposed takeover of JKIA airport operations by the Adani Group of India.

    Several organizations have filed suits against this deal.

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://cms.kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Feasibility-Report-by-Adani-Airports-Holdings-Limited-for-the-development-of-JKI.pdf” title=”Feasibility Report by Adani Airports Holdings Limited for the development of JKI”]