National Treasury CS John Mbadi .[POOL]
National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi on Saturday defended Azimio party leader Raila Odinga following his previous remarks supporting the controversial Adani Group.
In mid-October, Raila, the former Prime Minister, publicly expressed his confidence in the Indian conglomerate, stating that Adani had a solid reputation and proven capability in handling large-scale projects. He highlighted that the group’s successful ventures in other parts of the world, particularly in East Africa, validated its credibility.
“Adani is a credible partner. They have proven their capabilities in projects that surpass what we have seen in East Africa,” Raila had said, in support of the government’s earlier decision to award them several lucrative contracts.
Speaking in Nyando, Kisumu County, on Saturday, Mbadi noted that Raila’s statement was based on Adani’s track record in other countries, pointing out that it is difficult to verify the specifics of how the conglomerate secured its deals in places like India. Mbadi remarked, “I think what Raila said is that Adani has done some projects in some places that can be seen. Like in Mumbai, they have done an excellent airport. Whether they corrupted that one, we cannot know. Kwani sisi tunaishi India nijue kama amebribe watu huku ile ajenge airport (Do we live in India to know whether they bribed people there to get the contracts of building airports)?”
Mbadi stressed that while Raila’s remarks were grounded in the visible success of Adani’s projects in other countries, Kenya was still in the process of conducting due diligence before finalizing any deals with the group.
The CS further acknowledged the evolving situation, following recent revelations from investigations in the United States, which led to charges against Adani Group founder Gautam Adani and others in connection with bribery. Mbadi stated that these new developments had shifted Kenya’s position on the Adani Group’s involvement in the country’s energy and infrastructure projects.
“If the US government has done investigations and discovered there was bribery, the best action for any responsible government is to terminate any other dealings with such an entity,” Mbadi said.
He also noted that Kenya’s own due diligence process might have been hindered by a lack of transparency, indicating that the Adani Group may have withheld critical information during contract negotiations. “We were going through the process of validation and due diligence, and if someone does not disclose some materials and facts about themselves, how would you know they have bribed people elsewhere? You can’t tell,” he added.
This statement follows the announcement by President William Ruto on Thursday, during his State of the Nation Address, that the government had decided to cancel contracts with Adani Group, including deals related to the construction of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO). The President attributed this move to new information from investigative agencies and international partners.
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