KAA boss now says airport tender has not been cancelled

The controversy around the Sh55 billion tender for the construction of a terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has taken a new twist.

It has since emerged that the tender for the Greenfield Project has not been cancelled.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director S M Gichuki told three parliamentary committees that he has not yet cancelled the tender but is under pressure from the Transport Ministry.

He, however, noted that he is awaiting a Cabinet decision on the matter.

“I am finding it very difficult to cancel a tender that had been awarded,” he said.

He expressed optimism that a solution would be found for the project to take off.

“We may need King Solomon to make a decision quickly. There is urgency here because neighbouring countries are ahead of us,” Mr Gichuki stated. He revealed that two letters from the Attorney General and KAA external lawyers warned him against canceling the tender.

“The Attorney General asked for all documents and I gave a detailed report. He said canceling the tender would undermine the procurement process among other reasons,” he said.

House Speaker Kenneth Marende asked three parliamentary committees (Finance, Transport and Budget) to investigate the controversy surrounding the project.

Transport Minister Amos Kimunya had indicated that the procurement process was flawed and vowed to ensure the award to the Chinese firm is reversed. Yesterday, Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo wondered why the tendering process was done quickly.

But Gichuki said the urgency arises from the fact that the country needs to be a regional hub.

The KAA boss, who appeared before the committee in the company of his top managers, provided the committee with correspondences between the Authority and the ministry.

Matungu MP David Were said members needed more time to dig deeper into the documents for them to ask appropriate questions.

– Stories by Allan Kisia and Peter Opiyo