Kenya has selected a Chinese construction giant to carry out a $2.9 billion expansion of its main international airport, two years after a previously proposed 30-year concession deal with billionaire Gautam Adani‘s company was cancelled.
The government awarded China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC) an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to modernise and expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, East Africa’s busiest aviation hub, according to Bloomberg.
The move follows President William Ruto’s administration scrapping a controversial plan that would have given Adani Airport Holdings a long-term concession to operate and upgrade the facility.
From Adani to China
The proposed Adani deal sparked widespread opposition in Kenya in 2024, triggering protests and a strike by aviation workers.
Under the arrangement, billionaire Gautam Adani‘s company would have financed and managed a major overhaul of JKIA, including the construction of a second runway and a new passenger terminal.
However, the proposal faced intense scrutiny from civil society groups, labor unions, and opposition figures.
The Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission argued that the lease violated constitutional provisions and questioned the government’s authority to hand over control of a strategic national asset. Growing public pressure eventually forced the government to cancel the agreement.
China’s growing footprint
The new contract further strengthens China’s position as Kenya’s dominant infrastructure partner. CCCC already has a substantial presence in the country, having participated in several flagship projects, including railway developments, a 60,000-seat stadium, major road infrastructure, and a convention centre.
Sources said construction on the airport upgrade is expected to begin this month. Funding will partly come from proceeds of privatisation channelled through Kenya’s newly established National Infrastructure Fund. Additional financing will be secured through commercial loans backed by future air passenger service charges.
Regional aviation race intensifies.
The airport expansion comes as East Africa’s leading economies compete to establish themselves as the region’s premier aviation gateway.
Kenya faces growing competition from neighbouring Ethiopia, home to Africa’s largest airline, which is developing a new $12.5 billion mega-airport near Addis Ababa. Rwanda is also investing heavily in aviation infrastructure through a new airport project being developed in partnership with Qatar Airways.
For Kenya, upgrading JKIA has become increasingly urgent as passenger traffic grows and regional rivals expand their capacity.
