Taxpayers to cough Sh243m legal fee after Adani-JKIA deal flopped
Business
By
Brian Ngugi
| Oct 14, 2025
Taxpayers are facing a Sh243.2 million legal bill, nearly 20 times the original budget, for the controversial and ultimately cancelled plan to hand control of the nation’s main airport to India’s Adani Group, according to an internal government document seen by The Standard.
The massive bill, detailed in a September 25 advisory letter from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to the Ministry of Transport, exposes the financial fallout of the botched privatisation that could if awarded cost the public dearly in legal fees, even though the botched multibillion shilling deal was scrapped by President William Ruto last year.
The Standard reached out to KAA for comment but had received no response by press time despite a promise to reply.
According to the letter, the funds are to be paid to TripleOKLaw Advocates LLP for its legal defence of KAA against a series of lawsuits challenging the constitutionality and transparency of the proposed 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Adani Airport Holdings Limited.
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The Adani proposal, a Privately Initiated Investment Proposal (PIP), would have allowed the group to construct a new passenger terminal and a second runway in exchange for a three-decade lease. It immediately drew fierce public and legal opposition over its alleged lack of competitive bidding, as well as concerns about national security and the management of a strategic state asset.
The backlash culminated in President Ruto cancelling the JKIA process in November 2024, alongside a separate Adani power transmission deal, citing the need for transparency and value for money. Despite the cancellation, KAA noted that legal battles have continued, and the cost of defending the ill-fated deal has spiralled.
KAA’s initial budget for the legal services, according to the letter, was Sh12.5 million. However, a direct procurement tender opened in January 2025 received only one bid — from TripleOKLaw Advocates — quoting Sh243.2 million.
In the letter, KAA’s Acting Managing Director, Mohamud Gedi, acknowledged the substantial budget overrun but defended the decision to retain the firm without re-tendering, citing the “urgent” nature of the “high-profile, constitutionally sensitive matters” and the firm’s “institutional knowledge” of the case.
Gedi had not responded to The Standard’s queries by the time of publication.
A 10 per cent negotiated price reduction from the original quote was also noted.