Onyonka challenged the government to make public documents of an alleged planned lease of JKIA to the firm
Kisii Senator, Richard Onyonka on Monday, July 29 alleged that Indian-based multinational conglomerate, Adani Group’s subsidiary, Adani Airport Holdings Limited, was intent on managing all the aerodromes in Kenya. Aerodromes include small general aviation airfields, large commercial airports, and military air bases.
Speaking during a Spice FM interview, Onyonka challenged the government to make public documents of the purported planned lease of JKIA to the firm, saying that the Senate was yet to receive a response from the government regarding his petition aiming to compel involved parties to declare the terms and conditions of the deal.
He rubbished a clarification by President William Ruto less than 24 hours ago that the airport was not being sold, adding that public participation should have been conducted before the deal was arrived at.
Senator Richard Onyonka during a past interview. /CITIZEN TV
Onyonka also cited news reports that the securing of the bid by Adani Holdings to run JKIA for 30 years could lead to significant job losses, with Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) employees possibly being forced to renegotiate their contracts.
“I want President Ruto, it is not whether the airport is being sold or not, let him just give us the agreement. That’s what the law says.
“There needed to have been public participation, stakeholders should have been called, some of the Kenyans working at the Kenya Airports Authority…you can see the stories coming out that they are going to lose their jobs and guess what, it’s like Kenyans cannot work at the airport simply by doing the jobs that some of them do and they don’t like them,” he revealed.
He claimed that the leasing of JKIA was just the beginning and that there was a wider plot for the firm to manage all of the country’s airports.
Nonetheless, the legislator insisted that Kenyans must be furnished with details of the company’s directors, its local registration status, proof of undertaking similar assignments anywhere else, the memorandum of understanding between the company and the Kenyan government, and any other valuable information.
“Contrary to what the president has said, it’s not only JKIA. All the airstrips (aerodromes) in the Republic of Kenya are going to be managed by this company,” he disclosed.
“There is no need for the president to talk. Instead, we need to use relevant institutions to probe whether the claims are true.”
Senator Onyonka, the presumptive whistleblower, attributed his claims to some concerned Kenyans who, he alleged, had supplied him with worrying evidence.
On Sunday, July 28, President Ruto, during a Presidential Town Hall held in Mombasa County, refuted claims that JKIA would be sold to the company, adding that Kenya is seeking a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for the upgrade of the ageing airport to enhance its competitiveness in the aviation market.
To be specific, Ethiopia and Rwanda have constructed new airports which surpass the standards of JKIA, thus threatening the Kenyan international airport’s position as the top facility in the East African region.
“We need to work with investors to give us a new airport in Nairobi. I have seen people saying that William Ruto wants to sell the airport. Am I a madman? How do you sell a strategic national asset? You have to be insane,” Ruto defended.
“We must have the right investment for the airport, it is a strategic national asset. What we want to do in the airport is to work under the PPP programme and people must understand that PPP has the potential to bring in private sector money blended with public sector investment to be able to create an outcome that brings win-win.”
Adani Airport Holdings is yet to publicly comment on the allegations. Reports indicate that it had proposed refurbishing the airport for $1.85 billion (Ksh242.1 billion, based on the current exchange rate of Ksh130.9 per US dollar).
The company estimated its first-year (2025) revenue at $163 million (Ksh21.3 billion). Out of the revenue, $47 million (Ksh6.2 billion) will be for the Kenyan government.
The group also proposed a revenue estimate of $290 million (Ksh37.9 billion), out of which $52 million (Ksh6.8 billion) will go to the government in 2030.
Other revenue estimates include Ksh96.8 billion in 2045 and Ksh157 billion in 2054, earning Kenya between Ksh9 billion and Ksh10 billion in the respective years.
A roof under construction as passengers walk within Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on June 10, 2024. /LARRY MADOWO