CS Chirchir Starmers, Struggles To Explain The Adan-JKIA Takeover As Plain Questions Overwhelm Him
Davis Chirchir, Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, was tasked on Thursday with explaining why the government did not openly express its interest in seeking an investor to develop Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
This is despite Chirchir’s predecessor in the ministry, Kipchumba Murkomen, announcing in June 2023 that the State planned to advertise a request for expressions of interest to build the airport using a Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) model.
Davis Chirchir, CS Roads & Transport: Adani doesn’t have the deal. We are going through a due process of putting together a concession agreement. The big debate out there is on the proposal Adani made. We’ve got the position of KAA and if we were to go through what has been… pic.twitter.com/1cImVVApWj
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 12, 2024
However, according to CS Chirchir, who appeared on Citizen TV on Thursday night, it is unnecessary to publicize privately initiated proposals.
Chirchir insisted that an individual or organization only needs to identify a need in government and present what they can do about it.
He went on to say that all PIPs go through a 20-stage process before being approved or rejected by the government.
“For privately initiated proposals you don’t advertise, I can look for an opportunity based on where I think the government needs support and privately initiate a proposal,” he stated.
“That proposal then goes through the due process, and if the government deems it fit and it goes through the due approval process in 20 stages, then it becomes a project.”
Davis Chirchir: We are seeking an investor, we are suiting investors to come and help us develop an airport #CitizenTonight @SamGituku pic.twitter.com/96Pi2RYjOh
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 12, 2024
The CS was also asked to explain how a proposal from Indian conglomerate Adani Group was received in March 2024, despite the fact that the Cabinet only approved the plan to lease JKIA on June 11, 2024.
Gituku: Are you aware of Airports infrastructure PLC that was registered in Kenya by Adani Group?
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 12, 2024
Davis Chirchir: I am not aware. We are at the stage of due diligence so if what you are saying is true, it will come out#CitizenTonight@SamGituku pic.twitter.com/jkmCqA1ldC
“It’s not a secret that we’ve been seeking to build an airport in Kenya for a long time,” he said.
“Yes, we’ve been trying to do it under the government fiscal headroom, but for a USD 2 billion investment, and the kind of debt that is sitting on government balance sheet today, we’re unable to accommodate those kind of projects.”
“So we’ve done a feasibility study, we’ve sought to build an airport on government investment, and we tried to initiate a greenfield from as early as 2012/2013. Unfortunately, we don’t have an airport to date.”
CS Chirchir went on to say that the government has only received a proposal from the Adani Group to develop the airport, which he revealed is in the 13th stage of the 20-step process for final approval.
CS Chirchir Starmers, Struggles To Explain The Adan-JKIA Takeover As Plain Questions Overwhelm Him
