President William Ruto on Sunday evening denied reports that the government was selling the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a private investor.
Ruto defended the decision to bring in a private investor to develop the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport stating that the refurbishment costs were a huge undertaking for the government hence the need to have a third party.
Speaking during a town hall engagement forum in Mombasa County, the President stated that it was essential that the private company come in and undertake an upgrade as has been done with several infrastructure projects.
“Let’s be honest Kenyans the airport we have is made of canvas in the middle of the tarmac at the arrivals section. This is a temporary structure we put up almost seven years ago,” Ruto stated.
He further maintained that the government was undertaking the investment under a public-private partnership arrangement.
According to the president, the mandate of the investor in JKIA would be to build a runaway, build an new terminal and refurbish the existing infrastructure in the airport.
He also maintained that the government would use similar funding models for other projects such as the construction of a superhighway to Nakuru.
Ruto stated that it was necessary to have the government refurbish the airport stating that the project was overdue for 10 years.
Additionally, he noted that the terms for the reconstruction would be fully transparent in documents that would be audited by parliament and other stakeholders.
The president's statement was in tandem with that of the Kenya Airports Authority which maintained that the deal was purely aimed at the reconstruction of the airport.
"The attendant investment requirement is significant and cannot be funded with the prevailing fiscal constraints without recourse to private funding," the Authority noted in a statement.
KAA further revealed that the deal was sealed following cabinet approval of the JKIA Medium Term Investment Plan.
