Govt Given 14 Days To Meet 6 Demands Amidst Claims Of Selling JKIA

With speculation rife that the government is alleged to lease out the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to an Indian firm, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) have given the government 14 days to fulfil six of its demands.

In a notice directed to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Tuesday, July 23, the lobby groups alongside the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AFRICOG), and The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA) took note of social media reports regarding the deal with the Indian multinational conglomerate.

“Our clients have concerns about the value for money, transparency, and legality of this deal. Thus, under Article 35(1) and (3) of the Constitution of Kenya and Section 4 of the Access to Information Act, 2016, our clients seek the following information from you,” the notice read in part.

Kenya Airports Authority headquarters at the JKIA in Nairobi. /KAA

The lobby groups are demanding copies of all correspondence and minutes of all meetings held by KAA on the deal particularly your correspondence with Adani Group and with the Public-Private Partnership Committee.

They are also demanding information on how the Indian company was procured for the alleged lease deal concerning the country’s international airport.

The groups are also demanding information on the procurement of the transaction advisor as well as a copy of the feasibility study or report on the financial sustainability of the deal by the transaction advisor.

They are also demanding a copy of the contract between the two groups as well as a copy of the project proposal or contract between them.

“Please supply us with this information within 14 days of our letter considering the public interest in this manner. In default, our clients will sue to enforce this request at your additional cost,” the notice warned.

On Tuesday, Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) Musalia Mudavadi assured Kenyans that JKIA is not for sale.

“JKIA is not on sale. This is a public asset. It is a strategic asset and if it was going to be sold, you can only do it after a full public process that Parliament endorses,” he explained, adding “Anybody who is giving the impression that JKIA has been sold is not being factual.”

Mudavadi however asked Kenyans to appreciate that the international airport was overdue for a facelift, thus turning to investors to modernise the country’s main airport.

“We need a new terminal, remember that there was a green terminal but it never took off, the contractual engagement had its challenges,” he explained. 

The new terminal is expected to make JKIA one of the largest and busiest airports in the continent handling 20 million passengers annually.