Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Thursday the cancellation of major airport expansion and energy projects involving Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. The decision follows bribery and fraud indictments against Adani in the United States.
In his state of the nation address, President Ruto stated that the move was based on “new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations,” though he did not explicitly name the US.
The now-scrapped agreement included modernizing Nairobi’s main airport with an additional runway and terminal, allowing the Adani Group to operate it for 30 years. The deal had faced widespread criticism, sparking protests in Kenya and strikes by airport workers, citing concerns over job losses and deteriorating working conditions.
Another canceled project involved Adani’s construction of power transmission lines in Kenya, a key infrastructure project for East Africa’s business hub.
On the same day, Kenya’s Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi told a parliamentary committee that there had been no corruption on Kenya’s part in signing the deals.
The US charges against Adani allege securities fraud and conspiracy tied to a solar energy project in India, accusing him of misleading investors by hiding a bribery scheme.