Nelson Amenya (@amenya_nelson on X) woke up to an avalanche of plaudits from around the globe the day after Kenyan President William Ruto cancelled a proposed $1.84 billion airport takeover deal with India-based Adani Group and a $736mn deal with Adani to construct and operate the electricity infrastructure.
In July, the 30-year-old exposed documents detailing negotiations between Ruto’s government and tycoon Gautam Adani’s company for a 30-year lease on Kenya’s main airport.
The proposal for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) included a clause allowing Adani to retain an 18 per cent equity stake in the airport’s business dealings starting at $46.3 million following the 30-year lease, plus an additional 10 per cent every five years in perpetuity.
Some suggested the airport be renamed after Amenya, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris—better known as HEC Paris—while others said he deserves protection for spearheading robust citizen activism against corruption in Kenya.
SOURCES:
https://x.com/amenya_nelson/status/1811458518861644006
Despite Living in France, Adani-JKIA Whistleblower ‘Doesn’t Feel Safe’
https://www.adaniwatch.org/furore_over_adani_s_pitch_to_revamp_nairobi_airport
Page 10, point no. 14:
https://khrc.or.ke/storage/2024/09/KHRC-and-LSK-v-KAA-and-Adani-Application-for-Judicial-Review.pdf
https://khrc.or.ke/case/khrc-lsk-sue-to-block-adanis-30-year-jkia-lease/
https://nation.africa/kenya/business/high-court-halts-proposed-leasing-of-jkia-to-adani-4755544 [paragraph 13]