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Kenyan court halts proposed Adani lease of country's primary airport

Kenya's high court has briefly blocked a proposed deal for India's Adani Group to rent the nation's primary airport for thirty years in exchange for expanding it, court documents revealed.

In a joint application, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the country's primary bar association, and the Kenya Person Rights Commission (KHRC) informed the court on Monday that the nation might separately raise the $1.85 billion required to update the airport in the capital Nairobi.

LSK and KHRC stated the supposed 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), East Africa's largest aviation center, was unaffordable, threatened job losses, was a fiscal threat and did not provide taxpayers value for cash, court documents published by the KHRC on their site revealed.

The high court granted the ask for leave to submit a. judicial evaluation to challenge the possible lease of JKIA to. Adani, LSK's President Faith Odhiambo wrote on the social media. platform X late on Monday.

The court has on the other hand issued a stay forbiding any. person from implementing or acting upon the independently initiated. Adani proposition over JKIA pending the conclusion of the court. case, Odhiambo stated.

The Adani Group did not instantly react to a Reuters. request for comment.

Last month, Kenya's primary air travel union Kenya Air travel. Employee Union required a strike over the proposed offer, saying. that it would cause task losses and generate non-Kenyan. employees.

Kenya's government has stated the airport is running above. capacity and requires modernising however that it is not for sale and. that no choice has been made on whether to continue with what. it calls a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the. transport hub.

It said in July that Adani's deal was being reviewed. If a. offer is concurred, the government stated there would be safeguards to. guarantee Kenya's nationwide interests are secured.

(source: Reuters)