NAIROBI, Kenya — JKIA Expansion; the government has officially locked in a monumental Ksh 154.2 Billion ($1.2 Billion) agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to completely overhaul and expand the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The groundbreaking deal, confirmed on Wednesday morning by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, effectively turns the page on the controversial, state-halted airport concession contract previously awarded to India’s Adani Group.
According to CS Chirchir, the contract signing follows an intensive three-month procurement sprint that kicked off immediately after the finalization of the new JKIA Master Plan in February 2026. The bidding process saw aggressive competition, drawing interest from over 40 international companies during a pre-bid evaluation conference held in April.
Tripling Passenger Capacity
The massive infrastructure project is structured as a 36-month development cycle under the direct management of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
The primary scope of work involves:
- Building a state-of-the-art terminal building and modern auxiliary support structures.
- Upgrading existing runways and taxiways to push arrival management capacity up to 31 aircraft per hour, up from the current 25.
- Expanding JKIA’s annual handling capability to nearly triple its current traffic, targeting 22 million passengers per year, up from 7.5 million.
Moving Past the Adani Storm
The quick shift to Beijing’s state-backed engineering giant comes as a relief to the aviation sector. The government was forced to abruptly terminate its initial infrastructure partnership with the Adani Group late last year following a major geopolitical storm and subsequent criminal indictments against the multinational’s founder in the United States. newsportal.co.ke
By choosing CRBC—the same engineering outfit behind major flagship projects like the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Nairobi Expressway—the administration is banking on proven regional execution speed to avoid further modernization delays at East Africa’s busiest aviation hub.
