By Judy Maina judy.maina@alleastafrica.com
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has sharply criticized the cancellation of a major airport expansion project at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), calling the move a “missed opportunity” for national development and warned that political interference is threatening Kenya’s ability to attract foreign investment.
The project, which was to be spearheaded by India’s Adani Group, had been hailed as a transformative $400 million private-sector investment expected to ease congestion at JKIA, modernize passenger terminals, and position Nairobi as a leading regional air transit hub.
But Kenyan authorities quietly shelved the deal last week following weeks of political pressure and mounting controversy over the firm’s track record abroad.
Speaking at a press briefing in Nairobi on Friday, Mr. Odinga said the government’s reversal signaled a “retreat from pragmatism” and risked alienating key international partners.
“We are sending the wrong message to investors,” he said. “This was not just about infrastructure; it was about jobs, tourism, and putting Kenya ahead in a competitive aviation market.”
Odinga, who remains an influential figure in Kenyan politics, stopped short of directly blaming President William Ruto’s administration but hinted that partisan forces within government may have played a role in the cancellation.
“Infrastructure should not be politicized,” he said. “When we inject suspicion and populism into serious investment talks, we only harm our future.”
Government officials have yet to publicly comment on the cancellation, but critics of the deal had raised concerns about transparency, environmental risks, and Adani’s involvement in controversial airport acquisitions in India and Australia.
Industry experts have warned that the cancellation could disrupt Kenya’s aviation growth trajectory.
“JKIA has been operating at near-capacity,” said airport analyst Sheila Kimani. “Without significant upgrades, we could see a bottleneck that affects not only tourism but also regional cargo operations.”
Adani Group, which has faced scrutiny from environmental and financial watchdogs abroad, had pledged to complete the JKIA expansion by 2028. The project included terminal modernization, new runways, and a logistics park for freight services.
As of Saturday, the Kenyan Ministry of Transport had not issued a formal explanation for the project’s cancellation.
A spokesperson for the Kenya Airports Authority said only that “alternative infrastructure solutions are under consideration.”
For now, Odinga’s remarks underscore growing tensions between Kenya’s political class and its ambitions to court private sector capital amid rising debt, inflation, and public pressure on government spending.
“The future belongs to countries that can separate politics from progress,” Odinga concluded. “Unfortunately, Kenya just blinked.”
