Workers welcome decision on Adani deals – Atwoli

By Peter Ochieng

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU-K) Secretary General, Francis Atwoli has commended President William Ruto’s bold decision to cancel deals with Indian firm, the Adani Group.

Atwoli in a statement on Friday said Kenyans support the decision, announced by President William Ruto during the State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

“This Presidential proclamation, issued during the State of the Nation Address in Parliament, has restored workers’ confidence across all sectors, particularly those represented by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) under the Kenya Airports Authority,” said the long serving COTU-K boss.

The cancellation, Atwoli said, means that state agencies must adequately consult with workers before making decisions.

“We wish to remind all agencies of the state and government that proper consultation with workers is a must prior to any strategic reforms.”

In October, Adani Group signed a Sh95.7 million deal with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited, to operate and maintain transmission lines and substations for 30 years, in efforts to address persistent power blackouts across Kenya.

The company was also in line to land the Sh30 billion Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) upgrade deal, despite opposition from Kenyans.

It had proposed a 30-year concession to manage JKIA, with the proposed infrastructure upgrade including the construction of a new terminal and a second runway by 2029.

In return, Adani would control JKIA for three decades and restrict the development of other major Kenyan airports without its approval.

President Ruto decided to cancel the deals after the United States government charged Gautam Adani, chair of the Adani Group for allegedly paying Sh30 billion in bribes to the Indian government to obtain solar energy supply contracts.

“Based on new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations, that the procurement agencies within the ministry of Transport and Energy and Petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA expansion Public Private Partnership transaction as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transition Public Private Partnership and immediately commence the process of onboarding alternative partners, because these are important projects,” he said.

Kenyans continue to applaud him for the move.