Senate Erupts as CS Mbadi Struggles to Address Questions on Adani Group

A recent Senate commitee meeting with CS Mbadi got pretty heated about the Adani Group’s role in important projects in Kenya. They really focused on the redevelopment of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA There lots of questions about transparency, and if the right checks were done, and who owns what. This meeting raised big worries on how this Indian company took control over several state corporations.

One key thing that came up was how unclear Adani's ownership is. Senators debated if the Sultanate of Abu Dhabi has a share in Adani or if India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, somehow controls 58% of the company. This is super important as it shows fears about foreign influence in Kenya's infrastructure efforts.

Many senators asked if the government did its homework on Adani—seemed like they didn’t! Some pointed out that steps that should’ve been taken were skipped. Because of this, Adani got massive control over seven state corporations. It got even more questionable when folks found out that only one proposal was looked at by Kenya’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) directorate.

Kenya’s Treasury & PPP directorate stood their ground saying that just one real proposal came through for review and that nothing shady showed up regarding Adani. Still, a lot of senators didn’t buy it and wanted to dig deeper into how Adani dodged usual processes.

This Senate talk showed more worry around foreign investment in Kenya’s key infrastructure. With more meetings coming up, both the public & Senate will be waiting to find out if due diligence was done right and if Kenya is looking after its own interests.

How do you feel about Kenya’s transparency in these big projects? Jump into the comments! Oh! And remember to subscribe for updates on what’s happening with Kenya’s politics and economy.

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