Why are Kenyans protesting against proposed Adani airport takeover deal?

Last July, a whistleblower in Kenya posted on social media that the country’s main international airport would be taken over by India’s Adani Group. The news sparked widespread outrage in Kenya. It has since emerged that the Kenya Airport Authority (KAA), which runs the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, has signed a $2.5 billion build-and-operate deal with the Adani Group. Under the agreement, the Adanis would renovate the airport and add a new runway and terminal, and in exchange, they would manage the airport for 30 years, after which they would get an 18% equity stake in it.

Hundreds of airport workers protested against the deal on Wednesday, causing flight cancellations and leaving passengers stranded. Meanwhile, the Law Society of Kenya, the country’s bar association, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission have filed a joint application against the deal in the high court. The court on Monday issued an order suspending any action on the Adani proposal until the court case is settled.

Why are Kenyans upset with this airport expansion project? Did the deal follow due process, in terms of transparency and bidding procedures? What are the demands of the Kenya Airport Workers Union?

Guest: Senator Richard Onyonka, Member of Kenyan Parliament representing Kisii county.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

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