Kenya: President Ruto Cancels Proposed JKIA & Ketraco Deals With Adani Group

William Samoei Ruto / page Facebook
President William Ruto.
21 November 2024
Business Day Africa (Nairobi)
By Lynet Igadwah

President William Ruto has ordered the immediate cancellation of Adani Group deals involving Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco), stating that he is a listening leader.

In his State of the Nation address to Parliament, the President directed procurement teams within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy to halt ongoing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) procurement processes related to the JKIA expansion and Ketraco's electricity transmission projects.

The decision he said was arrived at based on information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations.

"In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action. Accordingly, I now direct... that the procurement agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA expansion PPP transaction as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission PPP," he said.

The directive comes on the back of corruption charges against the chairman of Adani Group Gautam Adani in the US.

Read more: Adani Chair Charged with Bribing Officials in $2 Billion Solar Energy Fraud

The directive also comes barely a month after the High Court blocked the Sh96 billion deal between the Adani Energy -a subsidiary of the Adani Group-- and Ketraco, following a petition by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).

The Adani Group is also pushing for a 30-year lease to expand and operate the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), in a deal that has similarly been frozen by the High Court.

President Ruto directed Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and his Energy counterpart Opiyo Wandayi to immediately commence the process of onboarding alternative partners given the importance of the projects.

"I believe that the most important component of leadership is listening and learning," he stated amid cheers from Members of parliament.

He urged the MPs to without further delay to stop dragging their feet in the passing of the Conflict-of-Interest Bill, noting that he is committed to the fight against corruption.

"This fight against corruption is one I take on with resolve going forward. Let this serve as a warning to all," said Mr Ruto.

In his address, the President defended his administration's economic record and denied abductions and illegal detentions by police, challenging the affected families to report cases to the Directorate of Criminal Incestigation (DCI) and Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

Read the original article on Business Day Africa.

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