President William Ruto has stopped the takeover of the ongoing Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the government and the Adani Group over the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and KETRACO with immediate effect.
Speaking during the State of the Nation Adress, Ruto said the decision was made because of the information that the government obtained from partner nations.
He directed officials at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to cancel the ongoing process for the JKIA expansion and KETRACO transmission line PPP.
Ruto directed procuring agencies within the two ministries to start the process of onboarding alternative partners for the two projects.
“I have stated in the past, and I reiterate today, that in the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action. Accordingly, I now direct – in furtherance of the principles enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution on transparency and accountability, and based on new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations – that the procuring agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA Expansion Public Private Partnership transaction, as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission line Public Private Partnership contract, and immediately commence the process of onboarding alternative partners,” Ruto said.
His stance comes after Adani Group CEO Gautam Adani, was indicted by a federal court in the United States (US).
The charges, brought against him and other executives, allege that they paid over $250 million (approximately Ksh32.4 billion) in bribes to Indian government officials, while concealing these payments from U.S. investors.
Leaders Reaction to Cancellation of Adani deal
National Assembly Finance Committee Chairman Kimani Kuria said the governments is changing and takes the views of the public seriously.
“President Ruto is coming out as a listening President and this government is changing the way they engage with members of the public an if this continues, even the protests will not happen,” he said.
“If the protest that we do on social media can result to the cancelation of Adani, then we are headed in the right direction.”
Also Read: Kenya Gives Way Forward on Deal with Adani After US Charges
CS Mbadi
Treasury CS John Mbadi explained that the Adani deals were through PIP which can be stopped at any process.
He stated that the negotiations were still in the procurement process and the negotiations had not begun.
“It is timely, it has been stopped at a time when we don’t have any legal challenges, no issues. Actually, public engagement is part of procuring through PIP,” Mbadi said.
“The report from our partners is that there are a lot of questions around the proposed procurement method.”
Also Read: Adani Breaks Silence Over Charges of Bribery
Duale’s Take
Environment CS Aden Duale said Ruto’s directive on Adani is a clear signal on the war on corruption and his position of the president.
He stated that the voices of the citizens have been heard and could only be said in the presence of their representatives.
“We can still go back, do due diligence, get a reputable firm because we must fix our airport and electricity generation,” Duale said
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