All workers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) who are currently employed by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) shall work for India’s Adani Airport Holdings for two years.

After the two years, the JKIA workers shall be given new job terms by the company. This is according to a revised clause in the proposal by the company.

“[Adani] expects a time period of two years from the effective date of the concession agreement for the transition of the JKIA operations from [the Kenya Airports Authority] to the concessionaire [Adani],” Adani’s revised clause states.

“[Adani] shall make an offer to all such employees, on terms and conditions that are similar to their existing employment.”

In the initial proposal by the company, Adani had declared that it would offer employment to a mutually agreed percentage of the current JKIA workers on terms and conditions set out in the concession agreement.

The firm also proposed to bring in foreign workers as part of its new workforce. These foreign workers, it is expected, will replace Kenyans who will be released by the firm.

“[Adani] shall offer employment to a mutually agreed percentage of present KAA employees on terms and conditions as recorded in the concession agreement… [Adani] may employ non-Kenyan employees,” part of the proposal by the firm had stated.

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From this proposal, it was expected that any employees who are retained might also be subjected to salary restructuring, which often leads to lower salaries than previously earned.

It is now not clear whether Adani will revert to its initial objectives for its workforce after the two years lapse.

Adani has proposed to take over and run the JKIA under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model for a period of thirty years. Within this 30-year period, Adani will be expected to earn at least an 18 per cent annual turnover.

At the same time, during the 30-year period, Adani will be entitled to determine and impose charges in US dollars on airlines and other users for services at Kenya’s main airport.

“[Adani will] be free to determine to determine and collect charges for non-aeronautical and any other commercial activities without any restrictions,” the company states in its submissions.