India Worried about Image as Kenyans Protests Airport Deal with Adani Group

"This is a matter of grave concern for India,” Jairam Ramesh, spokesperson of the Indian National Congress party posted on social media site X on Tuesday. “The protests [in Kenya] can easily convert into anger against India and the Indian government.” 

Ramesh accused India’s leadership of collusion with Adani Group and said that the country’s foreign policy power “is at risk because of the government’s ties with Adani.” The group is known for its close ties to President Narendra Modi. “There is a pattern of the Adani Group signing agreements outside the country that create controversies,” Amitabh Dubey, who leads research for the congress party, told OCCRP. 

On July 24, OCCRP revealed the details of Adani Group’s proposal worth US$2.5 billion to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for 30 years. This was approved by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), even after experts had advised the Kenyan government to put out a public tender to expand the airport. There had been no public hearings surrounding the proposal, which had been approved to a “development phase.” 

Despite immense public backlash in Kenya, it appears the deal is proceeding. On August 30, Adani Enterprises set up a Kenyan subsidiary “Airports Infrastructure PLC (AIP)" according to a filing with the National Stock Exchange of India in Mumbai, seen by OCCRP. 

“AIP is incorporated to take over, operate, maintain, develop, design, construct, upgrade, modernize and manage the Airports,” the document said. The Kenyan subsidiary was a branch of an Abu Dhabi company, Global Airports Operator L.L.C. that Adani had set up on August 7. Adani did not respond to an immediate request for comment. 

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union has been threatening to strike for weeks in the face of the deal, and on Monday staged a three hour walkout in advance of reports of a Kenyan delegation traveling to India to meet with Adani. KAA could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The following day, sixteen top Kenyan officials departed for India on a “due diligence” mission on Adani Holdings’ financial records. The visit will mark a key step towards finalizing the agreement, which is expected to be completed by November.

“The Kenyan delegation going to India does not create the right environment for dialogue,” said Moss Ndiema, the union’s secretary general. “Why must it be done in a hurry?”

On Wednesday, the union had a meeting with the Kenyan cabinet secretary for Labor, Alfred Mutua, who Ndiema alleged was “trying to plead to our members not to proceed on a strike. The secretary said Thursday he would provide the union with the documents of the deal.

But Ndiema told OCCRP the union “is not buying it” and will proceed with a strike. He said the only way the strike would not take place is if the deal with Adani is completely ceased. 

“You can take this to the bank,” Ndiema said. “We are going to have a strike in the next ten days.”