Nairobi — President William Ruto on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration's commitment to rebuilding the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to meet global standards.

Following the cancellation of a previous deal with the Adani Group, Ruto assured that plans are underway to secure a new partner for the project.

The Adani partnership was terminated in November 2014, after the group's chairman, Gautam Adani, faced bribery charges in the United States.

Before the deal's cancellation, Kenya's partnership with the Indian conglomerate had sparked concerns among some Kenyans, who questioned the group's credibility due to its past dealings with other countries.

"We are going to build a new airport because we are going to get a new framework. We are going to work with people who believe in this country because that is how the future is going to look like," he said.

President Ruto expressed regret that some Kenyans celebrated the cancellation of the Adani deal instead of focusing on the urgent need to rebuild the deteriorating airport.

In a strong rebuke to his development critics, he pointed out that many of those opposing the deal had never even visited the airport, thus failing to understand the extent of the renovations required.

"We do not have a spare country, we must be patriots and defend our country and we must work for Kenya," he said.

Acknowledging the presence of negative forces in the country opposing his administration's efforts, President Ruto affirmed his determination to remain focused and fulfill his promises to Kenyans.