On Sunday evening, President William Ruto rejected claims that the government was selling Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a private investor.
He justified the involvement of a private investor in the airport’s development, explaining that the costs of refurbishment were too substantial for the government alone.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Mombasa County, Ruto emphasized the importance of having a private company undertake the upgrade, similar to other infrastructure projects.
“Let’s be honest, Kenyans—the airport we have now includes a canvas structure in the middle of the tarmac at the arrivals area. This is a temporary setup that we installed nearly seven years ago,” Ruto said.
He also emphasized that the investment was being carried out through a public-private partnership. The president explained that the investor’s role at JKIA would include constructing a new runway, building a new terminal, and upgrading the current airport infrastructure.
Additionally, he noted that the government would apply similar funding models for other projects, such as building a superhighway to Nakuru.
Ruto explained that refurbishing the airport was essential, noting that the project had been overdue for 10 years. He added that the terms of the reconstruction would be fully transparent, with documents subject to auditing by Parliament and other stakeholders.
His comments aligned with the Kenya Airports Authority’s position, which emphasized that the deal was solely focused on the airport’s reconstruction. The Authority stated, “The investment required is substantial and cannot be covered by current fiscal constraints without private funding.”
KAA also disclosed that the agreement was finalized after the cabinet approved the JKIA Medium Term Investment Plan.