NAIROBI: Nelson Amenya has caused an uproar by revealing secret negotiations with an Indian firm to take over Kenya’s main airport. He has no regrets, but fears his life is now in danger, he says. Documents shared online by Amenya in July revealed that the Adani Group, owned by India’s richest man Gautam Adani, was in months-long negotiations to lease Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for 30 years. JKIA is one of Africa’s busiest hubs but suffers from frequent power outages and leaking roofs and is in dire need of renovation. Adani has offered to invest $1.85 billion, but critics say that is a pittance given the strategic value of the airport, whose fees account for five percent of Kenya’s GDP. Negotiations were conducted in complete secrecy and apparently with no attempt to invite further bids. “They didn’t want to make it public because of the terms. Adani wanted to keep 18 percent equity in the airport even after the 30-year lease – that’s crazy,” Amenya told AFP. His revelation caused an uproar, leading to a strike by airport staff and a full parliamentary inquiry. Finance Minister John Mbadi, who only recently took up the post, admitted last week that he was shocked to learn that the Kenya Aviation Authority (KAA) took less than a day to approve Adani’s proposal in March. KAA did not comment on the secrecy of the transaction, but promised it would be “subject to technical, financial and legal controls along with the necessary due processes.” Far from being praised for opening the deal to public scrutiny, Amenya says he is being targeted on several fronts. Kenya’s Directorate of Crime Investigation wrote to the carbon credit firm he co-founded shortly after his revelation, accusing it of selling fake cryptocurrency. “We don’t sell cryptocurrencies, we don’t transact at all on our website,” laughed Amenya. He only agreed to reveal the deal because he is currently studying in France. “If you are in Kenya, you will be targeted by the police, mercenaries, you can even lose your life,” he said. His opponents reached him even where they arranged a gag through French lawyers. Even more troubling were the warnings about his physical safety. “I know I’m not safe and I could be deported at any time in France,” Amenya said. He declined to give details of his sources, but passed on his concerns to French police. “You’re talking about a $2 billion deal and you don’t know how many hands have changed to get it to this stage,” he added. Such concerns are real, said Sheila Masinde, head of the Kenya branch of Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog. “We have seen whistleblowers in Kenya face harassment ranging from physical torture to kidnapping to legal threats,” Masinde told AFP. The bill on whistleblower protection has been pending in parliament for 11 years, she added. “Nelson must be given physical and legal protection. He is doing this in the public interest,” Masinde said. What worried Amenya most about the airport deal was Adani’s reputation. India’s vast ports-to-power conglomerate had $150 billion wiped off its market value last year after a report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud”. Australian environmentalists accuse the company of “environmental destruction, human rights abuses, corruption and illegal trade” in connection with its mining operations there. Adani is suing its chief Australian critic, saying the Hindenburg report was a “maliciously malicious” attack on its reputation. Adani Group did not respond to AFP’s request for comment. Amenya believes the airport deal would not have been made public until it was signed if he hadn’t disclosed it first. “It was the right time to do it because they were just about to sign the commercial agreement and move into the development phase of the project,” he told AFP. “We still may not be able to stop Adani’s takeover of JKIA, but at least we can influence the terms.” The Kenyan government says the terms are still being negotiated and that the reconstruction of the airport is vital.
