Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga expressed deep disappointment over the cancellation of the Adani-JKIA deal during the Third National Executive Retreat in Karen on June 20, 2025, stating that Kenya missed a critical opportunity to transform Nairobi into the “Dubai of Africa.”
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader criticised the politically driven decision to halt the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) expansion project, warning that Kenya’s aviation industry risks falling behind regional competitors like Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Speaking at the retreat, Raila highlighted the potential of the Adani deal to modernize JKIA, which handled 8.5 million passengers in 2024, exceeding its capacity.
“I was very disappointed when we were not able to move on with the airport contract. When Adani was brought in, there was all that politicking that resulted in its cancellation,” he said, as reported by local media.
He cautioned that without infrastructure upgrades, “Nairobi could end up becoming dormant,” losing its status as East Africa’s economic hub to Addis Ababa’s new airport or Kigali’s modern facilities.
The Adani-JKIA deal, valued at nearly $2 billion, proposed a 30-year lease for the Adani Group to expand JKIA, including a new terminal and runway.
President William Ruto cancelled it in November 2024, citing corruption allegations against Adani’s founder, Gautam Adani, indicted in the U.S. for a $265 million bribery scheme.
Raila, a long-time advocate for public-private partnerships (PPPs), defended Adani’s credibility, citing their transformative projects in Gujarat and Mumbai, and argued that political interference since 2012 has stalled JKIA’s growth.
The cancellation has fuelled debates about Kenya’s infrastructure strategy, with activists calling for transparency in future deals.
