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Kenya Discussion / Re: Adani is back with the airport deal
« Last post by Kadudu on February 25, 2026, 02:25:17 PM »Quote
The government is mulling a fresh multi-billion JKIA deal with Adani Group, even as a court heard on Tuesday that the previous contract had been officially cancelled.
In its submissions before the High Court, the government pushed for the lifting of conservatory orders to block renovation of the airport, claiming the existing injunction is delaying the start of fresh talks with the controversial Indian conglomerate over the redevelopment of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The revelations emerged on Tuesday when Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) lawyer Benson Odiwuor appeared before Justice Bahati Mwamuye.
He confirmed for the first time, in writing, that the Sh230 billion Adani-JKIA deal had been formally cancelled, while simultaneously urging the court to free the government’s hands to re-engage Adani Group in a new arrangement.
We confirm that indeed the promise to cancel the deal, as earlier announced by President William Ruto, has happened. In fact, a letter of cancellation of the Adani-JKIA renovation deal has been filed and attached alongside our responses to the petition, Odiwuor told Justice Mwamuye.
However, Odiwuor’s submissions made clear that the cancellation was not the end of the government’s appetite for an Adani partnership.
He argued that the conservatory orders issued in November 2024 had gone beyond halting the original deal and were now effectively blocking the government and Adani Group from initiating any fresh bidding or negotiation process for the airport’s redevelopment.
The current orders issued have perpetually limited my client KAA and most especially Adani Group since we intend to initiate a fresh process for the redevelopment of the airport, Odiwuor told the court, pressing the judge to lift the injunction to allow a new process to commence.
He told the court that the interim orders had effectively frozen any future redevelopment plans for the country’s main international airport, even though the impugned agreement had already been revoked.
The admission that the government is eyeing a fresh deal with the same Adani Group arose after Justice Mwamuye pressed the government lawyers to confirm whether the deal has been officially cancelled as promised by President Ruto.
Ruto, on November 21, 2024, made an announcement cancelling the original arrangement amid a storm of public outrage over transparency and sovereignty concerns.
Although Ruto had publicly announced the cancellation over a year ago, when the matter came up for mention in January 9, 2024 and subsequent months last year, no formal letter had been tendered to confirm the termination, until yesterday.
The government said it had formally filed a letter in court confirming the cancellation of the multi-billion deal.
Justice Mwamuye, however, was unmoved by the government’s urgency to lift the orders and declined the request, instead ordering that the matter be heard expeditiously.
Since the interim conservatory orders are still in place, parties are urged to fast-track the application challenging the interim orders and the petition before the new judge who will be assigned to take over the matter on May 6, 2026, Justice Mwamuye said.
Further, the judge directed Cabinet Secretaries John Mbadi (Treasury), Davis Chirchir (Transport), and the Attorney General to file their further responses to the petition and the application seeking to lift the orders by close of business on March 13, 2026.
Activist Tony Gachoka and his co-petitioners, the Mount Kenya lawyers who originally filed suit challenging the 30-year lease deal, were ordered to file their rejoinder by April 17, 2026.
The matter will be mentioned on May 6, 2026, before a new judge, as Justice Mwamuye is on transfer.
The original Adani-JKIA deal, announced in March 2024, had proposed that the Indian conglomerate invest over Sh230 billion in upgrading and managing JKIA over 30 years.
Under the arrangement, Adani was to retain an 18 per cent equity stake in the airport’s aeronautical business and earn a concession fee starting at Sh6 billion, rising 10 per cent every five years.
The deal collapsed under the weight of public opposition over concerns of secrecy, lack of parliamentary approval, and threats to Kenya’s sovereignty over a key national asset.",
