‘Ata hamjawai kanyaga airport!’ President Ruto mocks JKIA-Adani deal critics
A furious Ruto was insulting poor Kenyans who have never been to JKIA for blocking his deal with the Adani thieves.
President Ruto was visibly upset over Kenyans opposing the deal that would have seen Adani pour Ksh.260 billion to upgrade the airport through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Head of State noted that such Kenyans don’t have an alternative in upgrading the airport but constantly hurl insults and oppose his administration’s policies.
“The people who don’t want to invest anything in them, we glorify them as if they were something. I saw them saying that those who stopped the upgrading of our airport are heroes, mashujaa kitu gani? Airport pale iko kwa runway, inafuja maji, yetu hapa Kenya sijui ni ya aina gani,” the President ranted.
“What gain do you get when you stop the building of an airport in your country? You have no clue how it’s going to be built, wale wanapinga, ata hawajai kanyaga airport, unapinga tu.”
Besides the President Ruto public attack on Kenyans there was the sad case of Junet Mohamed blasting Public Participation demands in our constitution as a disaster for the country.
Junet’s idea is that the president once elected should do anything they want and Kenyans should shut up. If that is what they want President Ruto and Junet Mohamed need to look for another country to run or take Kenyans to a referendum to change the 2010 constitution which requires Public Participation in building the country.
Junet: Public participation stalling projects
MP Junet Mohamed proposes scrapping public participation to fast-track development
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed has stirred debate by suggesting the Kenyan government eliminate public participation in development projects.
He argued that the process creates unnecessary bottlenecks, delaying the government’s agenda.
Speaking on Monday in Taita Taveta while accompanying President William Ruto, Junet said, “Serikali inachaguliwa ndio ilete maendeleo kwa nchi… lakini kama serikali ikitaka kufanya kazi yake inawekewa vikwazo.”
The Suna East MP criticized the existing framework, which mandates consultation with stakeholders such as citizens, civil society, and religious institutions before rolling out projects.
Junet compared government decision-making to family matters, claiming that approval processes within a household are simpler.
“Hii mambo ya kuomba ruhusa kwa kila mtu lazima ikwishe,” he remarked. “Serikali haiwezi kuomba ruhusa mahakama na kanisa ati ndio waweke stima.”
Junet referenced recent controversies, such as the cancellation of the Adani Group’s deals to upgrade JKIA and energy infrastructure under Ketraco, attributing the setbacks to public criticism. He expressed frustration, claiming that vital projects with significant potential benefits have been derailed.
“Hata juzi mmeona airport yetu iko mbaya sana. Wawekezaji walitoka nje kusaidia… Rais akasema kama wananchi wamekataa, tumewacha,” he said. “Sasa hao waliopiga kelele wako wapi? Airport lazima itengenezwe.”
Using Tanzania as an example, Junet questioned why Kenya could not proceed with the same investor, who is currently collaborating with Tanzania to revamp their airports.
“Nchi jirani, Tanzania, wanafanya kazi na mwekezaji huyo. Wao ni wazimu? Kichwa yao imeruka?” he posed rhetorically.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has proposed the scrapping of public participation as a pre-condition prior to implementation of development projects.
The legislator said the constitutional requirement impending progress of multi-billion megaprojects, which would otherwise be of great benefit to Kenyans.
“The government is elected, so it works for citizens, but the government is being sanctioned because it has to ask for permission from Kenyans, civil society, Judiciary, Parliament and religious organisations. When will the government work?” he posed.
Junet was speaking on Monday in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta county where he had accompanied President William Ruto on a development tour.
Also present were a host of political leaders and state officials, including Cabinet secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy); Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum); Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and a number of MPs from the Coast region.
Junet said the recent cancellation of deals with India’s Adani Group is a perfect example of how the requirement for a nod from the public and other constitutional entities was stiffling development in the country.
“This thing of asking for permission from everyone must end,” the Minority Leader in the National Assembly said.
“Our airport is in a poor state; investors came from outside to help us refurbish the airport, (but) the President said if citizens don’t want it, we have to drop it.”
During his State of the Nation Address on November 21, President William Ruto ordered the cancellation of all finalised and pending deals with Adani Group based on “new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations.”.
He dropped the bombshell a day after Indian billionaire owner Gautam Adani was indicted in the US for bribery and fraud, allegations the tycoon termed as “baseless”.
Kenya had already signed a Sh96 billion deal for Adani Group to manage Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) transmission lines for 30 years and was on the verge of inking another deal for the company to upgrade the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and manage it for 30 years as well.
Both deals were very unpopular with Kenyans, with the proposed airport takeover sparking a workers’ strike as pressure mounted for the government to drop it over concerns of corruption.
“In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action,” Ruto said in a speech that earned him a standing ovation from MPs.
But in his opinion, Junet said the public pressure was unwarranted as the same company is upgrading the airport in the neighbouring.
“Those who were making noise, give us alternatives now because the airport must be upgraded. In neighbouring Tanzania, they are working with that same investor in their airport; is this to say Tanzanians are mad?”Junet posed.
Here is what Kenyan politicians need to do and Junet Mohamed could lead that process. Set up a legislated process of Public Participation. On the DP Gachagua impeachment the Court of Appeal ruled that Public Participation requires meetings held at every constituency for the Kenyans to make their choices. In the Gachagua case more than 60% of Kenyans at those constituency PP voted to have him impeached and it was done.
Other times we hear about PP being held at KICC or in parliament. That makes no sense. PP should be streamlined at constituency level and if Ruto and Junet have a plan for JKIA or any other issue take it there and if Kenyans accept it then it is on. What is the problem with that?
The real ‘Pepo chafu!’ in Kenya is William Ruto and his government. Fix it or get lost. It is that simple.
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
