• The young adult happened to be the face of the demonstrations Kenyans held on July 23 against the Adani Group deal with Kenya
• He was on the frontline asking tough questions of President William Ruto, whom he accused of colluding with the Indian company to deprive Kenyans of their critical assets
• Ruto called off the deal on November 21, after Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani was indicted in the US

Eli Odaga, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings with him more than three years of experience policy and current events in Kenya.

Nairobi – Kenyans were initially opposed to the Private Public Partnership (PPP) Kenya has joined Adani Group Holdings with respect to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The details of the deal came into the limelight on July 11 when it emerged that the Indian company would be handed the rights to facelift JKIA and operate its aeronautical business for at least 30 years before returning it to Kenya.

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The details of the lease came at a time when the country was still dealing with the activism of the youth who had organized a series of anti-government protests.

On July 23, under the banner #OccupyJKIA, the youth came out to disapprove of the Adani deal and organized a march to the airport to show disapproval of the PPP.

A young man was the face of the demonstrations.

He was caught in videos strongly accusing President William Ruto’s administration of “selling” the country’s largest airport without the consent of the citizens.

He asked the president tough questions, including why he “sold” the airport when his predecessor had never considered it.

Thursday, November 21 at Ruto led to the immediate termination of the Adani Group partnership with the Kenyan government.

The Indian conglomerate had entered into a partnership with Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) and Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to renovate and operate the power transmission infrastructure and JKIA respectively.

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Why Ruto ordered cancellation of Adani Group deals

While KETRACO had set the ball rolling with Adani, the contract for JKIA was yet to be signed as the government was conducting background checks before handing over the country’s main airport to the Indian company.

The President urged the relevant agencies to suspend engagement with the company and instead seek alternative reputable partners.

Ruto suggested his landmark decision was informed by lawyers from investigative agencies in the country and abroad that implicated Adani in wrongdoing.

Ruto was before the two houses of Parliament on Thursday November 1 for his State of the Union Address.

His directive came hours after Adani Group Holdings chairman Gautam Adani and other suspects were indicted by the US attorney’s office in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, November 20.

The defendants were accused of paying KSh 32.4 billion in bribes to Indian officials expecting to reap $2 billion in profits (KSh 259.2 billion). Adani and his co-accused allegedly kept records of their bribes using “code names” in their communications.

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Inside Adani deal at JKIA

The company would take over the airport for at least thirty years, during which it would carry out expansion and other upgrading works.

Adani would inject upwards of KSh 230 billion in upgrading and managing the airport; it would then indefinitely retain an 18% stake in the airport’s flight operations.

Government workers were enthusiastic about the deal, which they said would revive the country’s aviation sector.

But the lack of transparency, the long-term implications of the lease and its potential consequences were among citizens’ concerns.

Civil society organisations, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Law Society of Kenya (LSK), rushed to court to challenge the deal.

Source: TUKO.co.ke