Kenya has picked a Chinese firm for a $2.9 billion upgrade of its biggest airport, two years after a concession deal with Indian conglomerate Adani Group was cancelled, according to news agency PTI.
The East African nation awarded China Communications Construction Co (CCCC) an engineering, procurement and construction contract to update and expand the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, the report added.
The contract value is roughly 50% higher than Adani Group's proposed airport concession, which was estimated at about $2 billion. Kenya had initially engaged with Adani for a few months on the project. However, the deal was cancelled in November 2024 following mounting pressure by the US Department of Justice.
1 June 2026
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Recently, the US Department of Justice closed the matter, citing a lack of conclusive evidence, bringing the episode to a close from a legal standpoint.
The Adani Deal and Its Cancellation
The Adani-Kenya airport case involved a proposal by India's Adani Group to lease, upgrade and operate JKIA for 30 years in exchange for a $1.85 billion investment.
Under the unsolicited proposal, Adani was to build a new runway and passenger terminal, subsequently taking over airport management. In return, the group would eventually secure an 18% equity stake in the airport.
The deal sparked public outrage and protests by airport workers in Kenya, who feared job losses, a loss of national sovereignty and unfavourable financial terms. Human rights and legal organisations also challenged the lack of transparency in the courts.
In November 2024, Kenyan President William Ruto officially cancelled the procurement process following fraud and bribery indictments filed against executives of the Adani Group by US authorities.
Adani's proposal had become the focus of intense political and public debate in Kenya, with critics questioning the terms of the concession and the transparency surrounding the project. The controversy also spilled into India, where opposition politicians cited the proposed transaction in attacks on the government and the conglomerate.
Kenya Moves Ahead
Following the cancellation of the Adani plan, Kenya moved ahead with a fresh procurement process and a government-backed financing model for the airport upgrade. President Ruto has previously identified JKIA's modernisation as a priority infrastructure project under the country's National Infrastructure Fund.
The award to the Chinese state-owned contractor advances long-delayed plans to modernise Kenya's busiest airport, which has been operating beyond its intended capacity and is viewed as critical to the country's ambitions of strengthening its position as East Africa's leading aviation hub.
The JKIA expansion forms part of a 20-year master plan extending to 2045 and includes upgrades to runway infrastructure, passenger terminals, aircraft stands, access roads and support facilities. Kenya's government has said the airport handled nearly 9 million passengers in 2025, above its design capacity of about 7.5 million passengers annually.
The Chinese award reinforces Beijing's longstanding role in Kenya's infrastructure sector. CCCC and affiliated companies have previously participated in major projects, including the Nairobi Expressway and the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, a 60,000-seat stadium, a toll road and a convention centre.
