The lid on how the Adani JKIA proposal was approved has been lifted. In what has turned out to be a shocking occurrence, it has now been revealed that the Adani JKIA proposal was approved in a record seventeen days, pushed through the approval stages by powerful forces in the government.
It has also emerged that the claim by the government that it has only received a single bid for the management of Kenyan airports from Adani, another similar proposal was sent to the government by an Argentinian conglomerate.
However, this proposal was not considered, with the government choosing to instead push Adani through in a manner that cause friction among boards members at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
Indian firm to ban Kenya from building any other airport for 30yrs after JKIA takeover
According to documents that have been filed in court by Adani, the so-called privately initiated proposal (PIP) was sent to the KAA on March 1, 2024. It was approved before the end of that month on March 28, 2024. This then gave the Indian firm the go-ahead to conduct a feasibility study that has been claimed to have been done within fourteen days.
The second proposal by Argentinian firm Corporacion America Airports SA, which is one of the world’s largest airport operators, was submitted to form Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen in mid-June 2024. Nearly four months later, Corporacion America Airports SA is yet to get a response from the government.
In the court documents, Adani says that it launched its bid to takeover the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport following media reports on leaking roofs and power blackouts at the airport.
“In March 2024, [Adani] originated a PIP dated March 1, 2024 and sent the same to the KAA. The KAA issued a letter dated March 18, 2024 confirming that the PIP had been received and cleared the project to the project development phase, that is, feasibility study phase,” Alok Patni, the head of Business Development at Adani Airports said in a response that has been filed at the High Court of Kenya.
Barely ten days later, Adani presented a complete feasibility study to the KAA on how it would “upgrade” the JKIA.