Kenya signs $1.2 billion JKIA deal with China Road and Bridge; government says Chivayo firm did not bid

Kenya's government has formally signed a $1.2 billion agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation to expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Transport Minister Davis Chirchir announced Tuesday. The signing puts a firm value on a contract that has been the subject of public debate for months.

The project will nearly triple JKIA's annual passenger capacity from 7.5 million to 22 million. It includes a new terminal building, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, a new runway, upgraded airside and landside operations, and a full suite of aviation systems modernization. President William Ruto has indicated construction will begin in July.

The formal signing clears the last procedural hurdle on a deal that replaced a previous agreement with India's Adani Group, which Kenya cancelled in late 2024 after U.S. authorities indicted Adani Group founder Gautam Adani on bribery and fraud charges. That earlier deal had drawn public protests, a workers' strike and a court challenge even before the indictment. Ruto cancelled it in his state of the nation address, citing what he described as undisputed evidence of corruption.

Earlier reporting had raised questions about the makeup of the winning consortium. ZimLive reported in mid-June, in coverage picked up by The Standard and other Kenyan outlets, that Zimbabwean business magnate Wicknell Chivayo's company IMC Construction Kenya might be a joint venture partner in the bid. Chirchir addressed the reports directly at a June 18 briefing, stating that no Chivayo-linked company had submitted a bid for the JKIA contract. "The said company is not among the contractors that submitted bids for the JKIA contract," he said. Tuesday's announcement confirmed China Road and Bridge Corporation — a subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Company — as the signatory, consistent with the minister's account.

The urgency behind the JKIA expansion reflects broader competitive pressure in the region. Ethiopia is advancing plans for the $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport, projected to become Africa's largest facility on completion, with capacity for up to 110 million passengers annually. Rwanda has continued investing heavily in Kigali International Airport. Both countries are pursuing the same airlines, passengers and cargo operators that currently route through Nairobi.

JKIA's current infrastructure was designed for a fraction of the traffic it now handles. The airport is the primary gateway for multinational corporations, international organizations, diplomatic missions and East Africa's export industries, which ship flowers, fresh produce and pharmaceuticals by air. A facility running beyond its designed capacity cannot hold that position indefinitely.

Kenya's financing model relies on airport-generated revenues alongside support from the Africa Finance Corporation and the Trade and Development Bank, appointed as financial arrangers earlier this year. The government established the National Infrastructure Fund, seeded with revenues from the privatization of Kenya Pipeline Company, to backstop the project's funding requirements.

The contract value is 154.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($1.2 billion). Chirchir has said the final award will not exceed that figure, pushing back against separate reports suggesting the project could reach 375 billion shillings ($2.9 billion). Construction is expected to take approximately three years from financial close.