Nairobi, June 20 (IANS) Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday said he was disappointed when the Adani Group deal to expand and manage Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) got cancelled.

On the second day of the National Executive Retreat in Karen here, Odinga said that should the deal have proceeded, it would have elevated Nairobi into a regional economic hub, as per local media.

“I was very disappointed when we were not able to move on with the airport contract that was very unfortunate,” the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader was quoted as saying in the Nairobi Leo publication.

Citing political manoeuvring as the key reason for the deal’s collapse, he said: “Kenya is very strategically located. I was very disappointed when we were not able to move on with the airport contract… If that is not done, Nairobi will become dormant.”

Before the cancellation of the deal, Odinga was among the leaders who defended the Adani Group.

Kenyan President William Ruto ordered the cancellation of the Adani-JKIA expansion deal as well as the Adani-Ketraco deal, while issuing the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on November 21, 2024.

Odinga said that the country lost a strategic opportunity after the deal fell through, adding that Adani’s capabilities surpass those of other firms in East Africa.

“Adani is a credible partner. They have proven their capabilities in projects that surpass what we have seen in East Africa,” he said.

The Adani Group has been interested in investing in Kenya since 2010, but this interest was hindered by the lack of a proper legal framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs) at the time.

“I want to say that there needs to be transparency when dealing with such issues; otherwise, we risk condemning very reputable companies… Do not condemn innocent companies that are engaged in legitimate commercial transactions,” the Kenyan leader was quoted as saying.

–IANS

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