Esther Passaris Backs Proposed Takeover Of JKIA By Adani Group: "5-Star Airport"

• Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris said Adani Group has a track record of modernising airports
• Passaris asked Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura to explain to Kenyans the finer details of the deal between the Adani Group and the government
• Aviation workers staged demonstrations to oppose the proposed takeover of JKIA by the Adani Group

Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris has downplayed Kenyans' objections to leasing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Adani Group.

Speaking at JKIA on Wednesday, September 11, Passaris defended the deal, saying it will benefit the country more.

Why Esther Passaris supports the Adani deal

Passaris shared her experience at an Indian airport, the Ahmedabad Airport, which the Adani Group reportedly built.

Passaris said the airport was in a poor state before Adani Group transformed it into a world-class facility.

“I have been to Ahmedabad Airport in India several times and it has been done by the Adani Group. The first time I went to the airport four years ago it was a mediocre airport. Today it is a five-star airport,” Passaris said.

According to Passaris, Kenyans need to understand what the Adani Group is going to do at the JKIA airport.

She challenged Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura to explain the Adani deal to Kenyans so that they would understand what the country stands to gain.

“That is why we had the Government Spokesman come in to break down everything so the people understand everything. How much money are they going to put in refurbishing the airport, what are they going to do for the terminals, are we going to have an airport as good as the one we have in Dubai,” she added.

Why Francis Atwoli backed KAWU strike

Elsewhere, Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli backed the ongoing strike by aviation workers.

Atwoli claimed former Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen refused to explain the Adani deal to the workers.

According to Atwoli, Cabinet secretaries in the Kenya Kwanza government are to blame for the current crisis.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke