CS Mbadi reveals real cost of the planned JKIA expansion
By Emmanuel Rono, June 17, 2026The government has dismissed reports circulating on the cost of the planned expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), saying some of the figures being quoted are inaccurate and misleading.
Speaking before the Senate on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said reports indicating that the airport modernisation project would cost more should not be relied upon, insisting that the figure currently known to the government is significantly lower.
According to the CS, the planned JKIA expansion would cost approximately Ksh155.3 billion and not Ksh375.4 billion, as widely reported.
“The figure that I know is half of the said 2.9 billion US dollars (Ksh375.4 billion), which is $1.2 (Ksh155.3 billion), and it is not going to put any strain on our sovereign debt,” Mbadi stated.
Mbadi made the revelation while responding to a question raised by Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, warning that government silence could spark uproar, citing the now-cancelled Adani project.
Rely on a verified report
Mbadi cautioned Kenyans against relying on unverified reports and headlines, arguing that some media reports may not accurately reflect the status of ongoing government projects.
“Don’t rely on figures that you find around, especially in some strange systems in print media. Sometimes they are just headlines,” he said.
LSK scrutiny on the allocation
The clarifications from the CS come days after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) called for full public disclosure and rigorous scrutiny of the Ksh375.4 billion contract awarded to China Communications Construction Company for the expansion and modernisation of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
In a statement issued on June 12, 2026, LSK President Charles Kanjama described the project as a “massive infrastructure undertaking that must be subjected to the highest standards of transparency and value for money.”
While acknowledging the need to modernise JKIA to drive economic growth, Kanjama raised concerns over the proposed funding model relying heavily on commercial loans backed by the Air Passenger Service Levy.
“This levy must not become a hidden financial tool that inflates the cost of flying without delivering clear benefits to ordinary citizens,” Kanjama warned.