Kenyan MPs ask China Road and Bridge Corporation to prove it uses local firms at JKIA

Members of the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure asked China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on 10 November to show evidence that it is engaging Kenyan firms on the KSh 154 billion upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

The committee, chaired by Ndia MP George Kariuki, inspected the site and was briefed by officials of the State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and CRBC. Completion is expected in mid-2029. More than 100 machines are already excavating on the site.

Limuru MP John Kiragu, a committee member, warned against foreign firms registering as local companies to win work meant for Kenyan enterprises. "We want fairness. We need to see evidence to prove that you are engaging locals," he said.

Kariuki urged CRBC to involve more Kenyans and to build local technical capacity. Kenyans.co.ke reported that the committee also asked the contractor to use more Kenyan materials and to import only when necessary.

MPs also asked why responsibility for procuring the contractor moved from KAA to the Ministry of Roads and Transport.

Principal Secretary for Aviation and Aerospace Development Teresia Mbaika said JKIA handles more than 10 million passengers a year against a capacity of 7.5 million. She said the ministry's open tender began on 3 March and closed in May, that two bidders took part, and that CRBC was awarded the KSh 154 billion project, inclusive of tax. She said the contractor was found after the earlier deal with India's Adani Group "faced challenges".

Citizen Digital reported in June that the contract, valued at KSh 154.2 billion, was signed on 23 June in the presence of Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, and that the State would borrow up to KSh 100 billion and inject about KSh 50 billion in equity. More than 40 companies attended a pre-bid conference in April.

The construction phase will take 18 months and the full project 36 months.

CRBC's project managers presented the company's airport experience, including the expansion of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and projects in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Dubai.