Video: Aaron Cheruiyot Responds To Reports He Brokered Deal To Lease JKIA To Adani

• Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has denied allegations that he brokered a deal to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Adani Airports Holdings Limited
• Nelson Amenya alleged that Cheruiyot played a key role in connecting the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) with Adani during a visit to India
• During a Senate session, Cheruiyot defended his integrity, stating that he had no involvement with the KAA or Ministry of Transport and has never met with Adani representatives

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Nairobi - Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has denied reports that he brokered the deal to lease the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Adani Airports Holdings Limited.

Adani Group's proposal was brought to the public's attention by a whistleblower, Nelson Amenya. It has raised controversy due to the lack of transparency and public participation with numerous allegations of bribery and kickbacks.

During a Senate appearance by Transport CS Davis Chirchir, senators argued that claims of bribery were possible considering the nature in which the Adani proposal had been processed.

Nelson Amenya's interview on Adani

During an interview on KTN, the whistleblower said that even the senators did not have the Adani proposal documents before he shared them and alleged that Cheruiyot brokered the deal between Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Adani.

"I am the one who shared the documents with politicians. Nobody, including Senator Onyonka, said anything about this deal except Aaron Cheruiyot, who is the broker in this deal, and he was the one who went to India, met with Adani, and brought Adani to Kenya," Amenya said.

Senator Onyonka had written to the speaker of the Senate requesting a statement from the Standing Committee on Roads and Transportation to clarify the terms and conditions under which JKIA was being leased to Adani.

Conditions that have now led to public backlash against the Kenyan government and the Adani Group as well as strikes by Kenya airport workers.

Aaron Cheruiyot responds to Adani allegations

Cheruiyot took to the floor of the Senate to respond to the allegations stating that he does not work for KAA or the Ministry of Transport.

"I don't know on what conditions somebody can allege that I brokered a deal between Kenya and another entity whose owner (or) agents I have never met. I have worked extremely hard in my public life to protect my image. Those who know me and have worked with me long enough can speak to my integrity as a person. I don't do those kind of things and therefore even as a country as we call for new levels of accountability, doesn't it behoove us that we behave better than those we accuse of committing certain ills?" Cheruiyot said.

The senator further threatened legal action against Amenya.

"I want to put it straight to him that my lawyers will be reaching out to him. I have a name to protect," the senator said.

New details on the Adani deal

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that the government rushed through the approval process for the Adani deal.

In response to a case filed at the High Court by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) challenging the implementation of JKIA lease deal, Adani Airport Holdings shared details showing that KAA, on its part, analysed the proposal within 17 days from the date of receipt on March 1, 2024.

On March 18, 2024, the authority cleared Adani Group to continue with the feasibility study for the airport's development.

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