Kenya’s government has signed a 154.2 billion Kenyan shilling ($1.2 billion) agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation to expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Transport Minister Davis Chirchir said on Tuesday.
The East African nation, plans to nearly triple the annual passenger capacity at the Nairobi airport to 22 million people from 7.5 million. “The project scope includes the construction of a new terminal building and associated support facilities, the modernization and upgrading of existing infrastructure, the improvement of airside and landside operations,” Chirchir said on his X account.
Kenya is aiming to maintain its role as a regional aviation hub as countries such as Ethiopia and Rwanda invest heavily in new airport construction to attract airlines and travellers.
The Fall Of The Adani Deal
The project was previously halted after Kenya cancelled a 2024 agreement with India’s Adani Group following the indictment of its founder, Gautam Adani, in the United States. According to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Adani Group had proposed a nearly $2.5 billion deal to lease and upgrade JKIA for 30 years, a plan that triggered public protests, an airport workers’ strike and a court challenge even before the indictment.
Kenyan President William Ruto announced the cancellation in his state of the nation address, telling parliament, “In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action.”
The Adani Group denied the bribery allegations and said it would pursue “all possible legal recourse,” while maintaining it had not entered into any binding agreement to operate the airport. Indian media reported at the time that Adani Energy Solutions separately confirmed it had been awarded a related power transmission project in Kenya, though the broader airport deal was never finalised.
A Fresh Start With Beijing
With the Adani deal collapsed and tied up in Kenya’s courts, Nairobi has now turned to Beijing to revive its airport modernisation plans. Last week, Chirchir said the government had appointed Africa’s Trade and Development Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation to arrange financing for the project, signalling Kenya’s intent to diversify its infrastructure partnerships even as it continues to position itself as East Africa’s primary aviation gateway.
(with input from Reuters)
