Adani Group has told a Kenyan court it became interested in redeveloping the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) following media reports of its deteriorating condition. On September 10, the High Court suspended the government’s plan to lease the country’s main airport for 30 years to Adani Airport Holdings, a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate.

“From 2018 to 2023, the respondent noticed several reports and news articles detailing the deteriorating status of Kenya’s JKIA which, for a long time, had been one of the best airports in Africa,” said Alok Patni, Adani Group head of business development in court documents seen by TechCabal.

“The respondent also noticed several news articles in 2019 and 2020 regarding constant protests and demonstrations by JKIA workers lamenting poor working conditions, infrastructure and remuneration.”

Patni told the court that the proposal to build a new terminal and taxiways would elevate JKIA’s status in Africa and create job opportunities for Kenyans. 

Adani Group’s $1.85 billion JKIA expansion plan has faced intense local opposition, with Kenyans questioning its transparency. Groups opposed to the deal have argued that the $1.85 billion required for the project can be raised locally without a 30-year concession to a foreign firm.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which filed the case against Adani Group, want the deal stopped.

The company owned by Gautam Adani, India’s second richest man, maintains the project will be “of tremendous benefit to the Kenyan public” and that it has followed Kenyan laws. 

The LSK and KHRC said in their filings that the project is “irrational” and does not follow Kenyan laws including the Public-Private Partnerships Act, of 2021, which Adani has refuted. 

“The Adani proposal is unaffordable, threatens job losses, exposes the public disproportionately to fiscal risk and offers no value for money to the taxpayer,” LSK and KHRC told the court.

On September 11, the proposed takeover caused an aviation workers’ strike, which led to major flight delays and cancellations that lasted six hours. The workers claimed that the takeover would lead to layoffs and employment of foreigners.