Months after a section of Kenyans raised concern over the proposed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) takeover by Indian conglomerate Adani Group, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has added her voice.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Passaris argued that the deal has failed to take off due to a lack of trust from the citizenry, which has led to the filing of court cases challenging the public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement set to give JKIA a new look.
Passaris who has been an avid supporter of Kenya Kwanza policies indicated failing to disclose details of the deal is one of the factors that have contributed to the stalling of the multi-billion rehabilitation deal.
“Adani will be as good a partner to and for Kenya as negotiated. If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad. Access to information is a constitutional right. Let the Executive come clean on all Partnerships when asked to do so as a bare minimum,” she argued.
Answer pertinent questions
At the same time, Passaris challenged the negotiators of the deal to explain to the country why the government settled on Adani Group and why other bidders were left out of the JKIA takeover deal.
“Explain why other partners were not invited to bid for this or other projects awarded. Highlight the key details of investment versus deliverables thereof from all PIP, PPP,” she added.
Finally, the Nairobi Woman Representative told the Kenya Kwanza administration to declare a purge on corruption. She highlighted that graft had eroded public trust which has made it difficult for the Kenya Kwanza administration to implement its policies.
Passaris thus maintained that the only way President William Ruto’s administration could salvage itself and gain public trust is by slaying the corruption dragon.
“Deal with corruption decisively to win the trust of the citizens,” she further wrote on her social media page.
Fresh headache
Her sentiments come after Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma wondered why Kenyans were opposed to various policies adopted by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“Kenyans don’t want new finance laws to help the government raise revenue. Kenyans don’t want public-private partnerships to get private entities to invest in the economy,” Kaluma wrote on X.
“What do we want? Our courts should throw out these unending cases before they ground the government. Adani is good for Kenya.”
Kaluma’s remarks came after a rights group moved to court challenging the constitutionality of Kenya’s recent public-private partnerships (PPP) deals involving India’s Adani Group, citing lack of transparency and inadequate parliamentary oversight.
The institute claimed that sections of the Public-Private Partnerships Act allow critical projects to be approved without parliamentary scrutiny, which it argues violates Kenya’s constitutional requirements for checks and balances.
