Adani Group Reveals They Paid Ksh 6.5M For JKIA Takeover Review
On Wednesday, Adani Group denied allegations that it pushed for quick approval of its proposal to take over renovation work at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
A local mainstream media outlet reported that the deal was finalized in just 17 days, raising concerns about the thoroughness of the assessment.
In a brief statement, the Indian firm called the reports completely false and accused local media outlets of spreading unverified information.
According to the Asian conglomerate, it did not compel the Kenya Airports Authority to approve the deal immediately, nor did it engage any local news outlet in the matter.
Multibillion-shilling secretive single-sourced tenders to controversial Indian conglomerate Adani Group have shone the spotlight on some top government officials, amid public outcry over the rush to seal the transactions and mounting fears of huge loses to Kenyan taxpayers. via-… pic.twitter.com/CGMr8W0AFf
— Mzalendo (@MzalendoWatch) September 18, 2024
“We have come across a report published claiming that the Adani Group made a statement regarding the Kenya Airports Authority and the approval process of a proposal,” read part of a statement by the company.
“We would like to clarify that this report is entirely false. The Adani Group has neither issued any such statement nor engaged with the media on this matter.”
While insisting on the issue, Adani urged media outlets to verify information through official channels before publishing to avoid spreading misinformation.
Adani Group says they learned of JKIA's poor state from Kenyan media, including issues like dirty lavatories, lack of clean water, congested waiting bays, power failures, poor workmanship, and an inability to handle increasing traffic.
— Moe (@moneyacademyKE) September 18, 2024
According to new court filings obtained by Citizen Digital, the Indian infrastructure company owned by the Adani Group deposited the funds into the Public Private Partnerships Facilitation Fund.
The Group also provided the Kenyan government with the necessary documents for its contentious privately initiated proposal (PIP).
“Upon submission of the PIP, the 5th respondent (Adani Airport Holdings Limited) duly paid a review fee of USD 50,000 to the Public Private Partnership Facilitation Fund as required by the law,” the company submits through its lawyers.
“The 5th respondent also provided all the necessary pre-approval documents including incorporation and corporate documents, tax compliance documents and financial documents to aid the PPP (Public Private Partnership) Directorate, in coordination with KAA, to carry out their due diligence on the proponent.”
The company stated this in a reply affidavit filed on Tuesday, September 17, in response to the case filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) on September 9, which blocked the deal.
Adani was forced to clarify the situation after a local publication claimed that the multinational company had received approval for its proposal to take over the country’s main airport within seventeen days.
The publication also claimed that KAA was under scrutiny for its quick approval process.
The latest development comes just days after Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir clarified that the Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) had yet to be finalised, as claimed by some Kenyans.
While appearing before the Senate Committee on Roads and Transportation, the CS also stated that the deal with Adani would not include any other airports.
“The Adani Privately Initiated Proposal is only confined to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. It is further confined to another aeronautical and commercial development,” Chirchir reiterated.
According to CS Chirchir, the government has already begun the process of conducting public participation on the JKIA deal, and additional information about the agreement will be provided in due course.
Adani Group Reveals They Paid Ksh 6.5M For JKIA Takeover Review
