Kenya Cancels Proposed Airport Deals with Adani Group after US Indictments

Nairobi: Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Thursday that he had ordered the cancellation of a procurement process that was supposed to give over management of the country’s main airport to Adani Group following the prosecution of the company’s founder by the United States.

Ruto also said he had ordered the cancellation of a 30-year, $736-million public-private partnership agreement signed by the energy ministry with an Adani Group company last month to build power transmission lines.

“I have directed agencies within the ministry of transport and within the ministry of energy and petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement,” Ruto said in his state of the nation address, attributing the decision to “new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations”.

U.S. authorities said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest people, and seven other defendants agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials.

Adani Group denied the allegations and said in a statement that it would seek “all possible legal recourse”.

Earlier on Thursday, Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi had said there was no bribery or corruption involved in the award of the transmission lines contract.