Members of Parliament have questioned why the procurement process for the Sh154 billion Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) modernisation project was transferred from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to the Ministry of Roads and Transport.
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure raised the concerns on Wednesday during an inspection of the ongoing airport development project, which seeks to expand the facility’s capacity and improve its infrastructure.
The committee, led by Ndia MP George Kariuki, began its visit with a meeting involving officials from the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the contractor undertaking the project.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary in the State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development Teresiah Mbaika and KAA Managing Director Moses Wekesa.
Lawmakers sought updates on the implementation of JKIA’s master plan, the progress made so far and challenges affecting the airport’s expansion.
During the engagement, CRBC project managers highlighted their experience in undertaking major airport infrastructure projects, including the expansion of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as projects in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Dubai.
The contractor’s team presented its proposed modern terminal design, which includes a roof finish tailored for the Kenyan project.
Mbaika told the committee that Kenya was lagging behind other countries in the region in airport infrastructure development, even as passenger numbers at JKIA continued to rise.
She said the airport currently handles more than 10 million passengers annually against its designed capacity of 7.5 million, putting pressure on existing facilities.
“Honourable Members, the ongoing infrastructural development and modernisation is important. We are currently receiving more than 10 million passengers annually when our capacity can only handle 7.5 million. The numbers are more than our capacity. We did a master plan in 2025, through stakeholder engagement, to find ways of improving JKIA,” said Mbaika.
The PS said the government initiated a new procurement process after the proposed airport deal involving India’s Adani Group encountered challenges.
“We got an EPC contractor after the Adani deal faced challenges. A procurement process was done. This was an open tender by the Ministry which commenced on 3rd March 2026 and closed in May the same year. We got two bidders, but CRBC emerged the best, and they were awarded the Sh154 billion project, inclusive of tax,” she added.
The project has three main components: improvements to the existing runway and its two terminal exits, optimisation of the current terminal to increase its passenger-handling capacity to 12 million annually, and construction of a taxiway serving both domestic and international operations.
Mbaika told the committee that the project had an 18-month construction period and a 36-month completion timeline.
Despite receiving the project briefing, lawmakers questioned why the procurement process had been moved from KAA to the Ministry.
The committee also sought evidence that local companies and workers would be meaningfully involved in the implementation of the Sh154 billion project.
Limuru MP John Kiragu said the government needed to ensure that Kenyan firms benefited from the major infrastructure investment rather than allowing foreign companies to secure work that could be undertaken by local businesses.
“We have seen foreign companies coming here and registering companies as local to do work that should have been done by local companies. We want fairness. We need to see evidence to prove that you are engaging locals,” said Kiragu.
The committee later toured the construction site, where more than 100 machines were already undertaking excavation works.
The Sh154 billion JKIA modernisation project is expected to improve the airport’s capacity and infrastructure, with completion targeted for mid-2029.
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