Members of Parliament have raised concerns over the involvement of local companies in the Ksh154 billion upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), asking the Chinese contractor to show how Kenyan businesses and professionals are benefiting from the project.
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure visited the airport on Tuesday, November 10, where it met officials from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Principal Secretary for Aviation and Aerospace Development Teresiah Mbaika.
During the meeting, MPs questioned why the procurement process for the project had been moved from KAA to the Ministry of Roads and Transport.
They also challenged China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which was awarded the contract, to provide evidence that local firms and professionals had been given opportunities to take part in the construction.
Limuru MP John Kiragu said foreign contractors should not use locally registered companies to take up work that Kenyan firms are capable of handling.
“We have seen foreign companies coming here and registering companies as local to do work that should have been done by local companies. We want fairness. We need to see evidence to prove that you are engaging locals,” Kiragu said.
The committee also called upon the contractor to take advantage of locally available construction materials rather than import all that is needed for the project.
MPs noted that involving local firms would enable them acquire skills and capabilities to undertake similar projects in future.
According to the observations made by Mbaika, the expansion of the airport was essential due to the rising number of passengers.
In this regard, she informed the committee that JKIA has over 10 million annual passengers despite having 7.5 million capacity.
“The ongoing infrastructural development and modernisation is important. We are currently receiving more than 10 million passengers annually when our capacity can only handle 7.5 million. The numbers are more than our capacity,” she said.
Mbaika added that the government prepared a master plan in 2025 after consulting stakeholders on ways to improve the airport.
She also explained that the CRBC contract was awarded after the government abandoned the controversial Adani deal.
According to the PS, the Ministry of Roads and Transport began an open tender process on March 3, 2026, which closed in May. Two companies submitted bids, with CRBC emerging as the preferred contractor.
The Ksh154 billion contract includes taxes.
Construction is already underway, with more than 100 machines operating at the site and excavation works ongoing.
The project is expected to take 18 months, with completion scheduled for mid-2029.
