National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has come forward to support Azimio party leader Raila Odinga’s previous endorsement of the now-controversial Adani Group.
Speaking in Nyando, Kisumu County on Saturday, Mbadi addressed the growing questions about Odinga’s supportive stance toward the Indian conglomerate.
The discussion stems from Odinga’s mid-October statement where he had expressed confidence in the Adani Group’s capabilities. At that time, Odinga had stated, “Adani is a credible partner. They have proven their capabilities in projects that surpass what we have seen in East Africa.”
This endorsement had come in support of the government’s initial decision to award several significant contracts to the Indian business group.
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Mbadi’s Defense and Reasoning
In his defense of the former prime minister, who is currently a candidate for the AUC chairmanship, Mbadi emphasized that Odinga’s assessment was based on Adani’s visible infrastructure achievements in other countries.
He particularly highlighted the challenge of verifying the procurement processes in foreign jurisdictions.
“I think what Raila said is that Adani has done some projects in some places that can be seen. Like in Mumbai, they have done an excellent airport. Whether they corrupted that one, we cannot know. Kwani sisi tunaishi India nijue kama amebribe watu huku ile ajenge airport,” Mbadi explained, questioning how Kenyans could have known about potential irregularities in India.
Kenya’s Due Diligence and Changed Stance
Mbadi clarified that Kenya had been conducting thorough due diligence before finalizing any agreements with the Adani Group.
However, he acknowledged that recent developments, particularly the US government’s charges against Adani Group founder Gautam Adani and his associates, had significantly altered Kenya’s position regarding the proposed energy and airport deals.
“If the US government has done investigations and discovered there was bribery, the best action for any responsible government is to terminate any other dealings with such an entity,” Mbadi stated, underlining the government’s commitment to ethical business practices.
Information Disclosure Concerns
The CS suggested that the Adani Group might have withheld crucial information during their negotiations with Kenya.
“We were going through the process of validation and due diligence, and if someone does not disclose some materials and facts about themselves, How would you know they have bribed people elsewhere? You can’t tell,” he explained.
The discussion follows President William Ruto’s recent announcement during his State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday, where he confirmed the cancellation of both the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and KETRACO deals with the Adani Group.
The President attributed this decision to new intelligence received from investigative agencies and partner nations.
Adani is now facing charges in the U.S. over bribery claims. Read the full story and what the charges are all about. #AdaniGroup #Adani #tujuemediahttps://t.co/1Vhv8HCfHV pic.twitter.com/2dBacCCYQO
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