Govt Softens Stance On Adani Deal As Protests Rock JKIA, Other Airports: "It's Mere Proposal"

• On Wednesday, September 11, members of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) staged protests over the proposed takeover of the JKIA by the Adani Group
• However, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura downplayed the protests, saying the deal was still at the proposal stage
• Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir held a meeting with KAWU officials to resolve the statement that has paralysed operations at JKIA

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

Nairobi—Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has spoken about the Adani Group's proposed takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

What Isaac Mwaura said about the Adani deal

On Wednesday, September 11, operations at the JKIA and Moi International Airport in Mombasa were paralysed after aviation workers protested the alleged deal between the government and Adani Group.

However, Mwaura downplayed the objections, saying that the Adani-JKIA deal is only at the proposal stage.

He disclosed that Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir was meeting with the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) and would offer a comprehensive statement after their deliberations.

"The Adani JKIA venture is only but a proposal. The CS Ministry of Transport Davis Chirchir PS Transport Mohammed Daghar and officials of Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) are currently in a meeting and a statement will be issued shortly," Mwaura said.

Why does Esther Passaris support the Adani deal?

Elsewhere, Nairobi woman representative Esther Passaris downplayed Kenyans' objections to leasing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Adani Group.

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

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.

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

What else you need to know about Adani Group-JKIA deal

• The court blocked the takeover of the airport by the Indian firm.
• Engineers of Kenya listed several concerns with the Adani-JKIA deal, stating that there was no proposal for a runway
• Adani Group set up a company in Kenya despite widespread opposition to the deal.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke