Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday scrapped controversial deals with India’s embattled Adani Group over Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and a state-owned electricity service.
During his annual state of the nation address, Ruto said he had directed the relevant agencies to “immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA Expansion Public Private Partnership transaction, as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission line”.
His announcement came a day after the Indian group’s founder Gautam Adani was charged in the United States with massive bribery and fraud.
Ruto — to loud cheers from MPs — said “in the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action.”
Airport workers went on strike in September over the proposed $1.85-billion investment deal that would have seen the Indian firm lease the airport, among Africa’s busiest, for 30 years.
Ruto also pulled the plug on Adani’s bid for state-owned KETRACO, a proposed $736 million deal that would have seen the Indian firm develop and operate transmission lines across the East African country.
Ruto said that his government would “immediately commence the process of onboarding alternative partners”.
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