The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has come under fire following allegations of missing crucial land records, which have prevented the expansion of Malindi Airport.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Tuesday, May 13, KAA officials were put to task to explain how the public land was handed to private operators without requisite approval.
At the centre of the grilling was KAA’s inability to repossess land earmarked for Malindi Airport, which is currently under the occupation of a church and a jet fuel depot.
During the meeting, the legislators accused KAA of administrative failures for declining to explain how it could not account for the 100-acre land meant for the expansion of the coastal airport.
However, KAA's acting CEO, Nicholas Bodo, clarified that despite the land being occupied by a church and a jet fuel depot, the Authority held a valid land title deed.
Nonetheless, the legislators criticised Bodo over his response, questioning how the Authority claimed to own the land despite the piece of land currently being in the hands of a private firm and a church.
The MPs, while seeking clarity on the matter, accused KAA of misleading the public about ownership of the disputed land, calling its claims “dishonest and deceptive.”
To settle the matter, the legislators demanded to see the agreement between the jet fuel depot and KAA, to be certain that indeed the two organisations agreed to the leasing of the land.
Despite being challenged to produce the records, KAA failed to provide key documents or clarify the financial terms of the concession, drawing sharp rebuke from the committee.
Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge raised concerns about potential manipulation of KAA’s financial records to mislead the lawmakers about the ownership of the land.
Following the meeting, the committee issued a strict directive for KAA to furnish the 1996 title deed and full details of its engagements with the jet fuel depot within 24 hours.
The lawmakers went on to warn KAA officials that continued failure to resolve the issue would be interpreted as institutional incapacity.
