The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Tuesday told Parliament's Public Investments Committee (PIC) that it was not in possession of title deeds for up to five major airports in the country.
The Authority's Chief Executive Officer Jonny Andersen further revealed that deeds for the Kisumu International Airport and another facility on Manda Island, Lamu County, had mysteriously disappeared.
CEO Andersen and his team told the Members of Parliment (MPs) that titles for Wilson Airport, as well as the Eldoret International Airport, were in the hands of private lawyers.
He explained that the deeds were being held by the lawyers to facilitate legal matters proceeding in court.
[caption caption="File image of the Eldoret International Airport "]
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The Ukunda Airstrip title deed was being held by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in connection with a probe relating to the land.
The committee had summoned the KAA officials to explain how an alleged Jubilee party tycoon had been allowed to access a Sh510 Million bank loan with part of the land allocated to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as his security.
KAA officials claimed that a lease agreement had been drawn up with Transglobal Construction Company that is associated with the said tycoon.
The Office of the Auditor General had indicted the Authority for extending a 20-year lease agreement for the land with the tycoon against laid out procedures and without informing the KAA Board.
PIC Chairman Abdulswamad Nassir and his team were angered when KAA officials claimed not to have information on the directors of the said company.
"I am not in a position to know the directors of all these companies in Kenya, but we could provide the names of the directors of Transglobal after a search," Andersen told the MPs.
The committee resolved to summon the National Lands Commission (NLC) to explain the status of the contested land ownership as well as the missing titles.
[caption caption="KAA CEO Jonny Andersen (right) with Board Chairman Julius Karangi"]
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