Adani Group deemed the reports as false and affirmed that it has never engaged with any media outlet regarding the planned JKIA leasing.
Adani Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday, September 18 denied allegations that it had called for the expediting of its proposal to take over renovation works at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The group reacted to a report by The Standard which claimed that the proposal to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) was cleared in 17 days, raising suspicions regarding the process leading to the approval.
In a brief statement, Adani Group deemed the reports as false and affirmed that it has never engaged with any media outlet regarding the planned JKIA leasing.
The group also urged media outlets to conduct verification before publishing their stories, particularly on the same, to avoid spreading fake news and misinformation.
Aerial view of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. /FILE
“We have come across a report published by The Standard (Kenya) claiming that the Adani Group made a statement regarding the Kenya Airports Authority and the approval process of a proposal,” the statement read in part.
“We would like to clarify that this report is entirely false. The Adani Group has neither issued any such statement nor engaged with the media on this matter. We urge media outlets to verify information through official channels before publishing, to avoid the spread of misinformation.”
The Standard had reported that the multinational company received approval on its proposal to take over the country’s main airport within 17 days, further alleging that KAA was facing scrutiny over the swift approval process.
The latest development comes days after Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir clarified that the Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) was yet to be finalised as purported by a section of Kenyans.
“The Adani Privately Initiated Proposal is only confined to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. It is further confined to another aeronautical and commercial development,” Chirchir told the Senate Committee on Roads and Transport, also noting that the Adani deal would not include other airports.
The planned takeover had caused widespread uproar, culminating in a strike by airport workers which wound up paralyzing operations at JKIA and airports in Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret earlier this month before being called off after just one day.
The striking aviation workers agreed to resume work after inking a return-to-work deal with the government, following a tense standoff that left hundreds of passengers stranded at JKIA between September 10 and 11.
As part of the deal to resume work, the government will pave the way for scrutiny of documents detailing the proposed 30-year lease deal of JKIA by Adani.
Passengers stranded at JKIA and Moi International Airports in Mombasa as airport workers strike at Kisumu and Eldoret Airports. /VIRAL TEA KE