President William Ruto has said construction of a new airport in Nairobi is underway, promising that the facility will be ready in 18 months despite earlier delays and controversy surrounding the abandoned Adani-led proposal.

Ruto said the government had reorganised the project after the challenges that followed the involvement of Indian conglomerate Adani Group, adding that work on the airport was now progressing.

 

“Already, the airport in Nairobi is under construction. Remember, there was a small challenge with the noise around Adani and others, but we've since reorganised, and now the airport is under construction. In another 18 months, you will have a new airport,” he said.

 

The President acknowledged that the timeline had become a subject of public debate, with critics initially questioning whether the project was achievable before shifting to concerns about delays.

 

He was speaking at the KICC where he presided over the official opening of the five-day 2026 Industrialisation Summit.

 

Ruto said the changing criticism was evidence that the project had moved from being dismissed as impossible to being recognised as underway.

 

“When I say 18 months, we will have a debate. We have a very interesting debate nowadays in Kenya. Some people said that it was not possible to be done. Then they changed and said this gentleman overpromised, and then they said nothing was happening,” Ruto said.

 

He added that the debate had since shifted to claims that the project was happening but was behind schedule by a month or two.

 

“That’s a good debate. There is no problem. So it was not a lie. It was not overpromised. It was not that nothing was happening. It’s just that it has not happened, or it is one month late. That we can deal with,” he said.

 

The project is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which signed a Sh154.2 billion contract with the government in June.

 

The works include construction of a new passenger terminal, modernisation of existing facilities and improvements to airside and landside infrastructure.

 

Lebanese-founded engineering firm, Dar Al-Handasah Consultants, has been appointed to supervise the engineering works and oversee project implementation.

 

The proposed Adani deal had been one of the most contentious infrastructure projects under the Kenya Kwanza administration.

 

In 2024, Adani Group submitted a proposal estimated at about Sh230 billion to modernise and expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) under a 30-year concession.

 

The plan included construction of a second runway and an upgraded passenger terminal, with the Indian conglomerate expected to operate the airport under the arrangement.

 

The proposal triggered opposition from aviation workers, who raised concerns over possible job losses and working conditions, while the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission challenged the arrangement in court.

 

The High Court temporarily halted the process in September 2024 as the legal challenge proceeded.

Ruto announced the cancellation of the airport proposal on November 21, 2024, alongside a separate Adani-linked power transmission deal, following information from investigative agencies and partner countries.

 

The decision came after US prosecutors indicted Adani Group founder Gautam Adani and other executives over alleged bribery involving Indian officials.