Construction of the Ksh154.2 billion Jomo Kenyatta International Airport modernisation project is under way, but MPs now want to know why the tender was handled by the Ministry of Roads and Transport rather than the Kenya Airports Authority.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure raised that question on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, during an inspection of the site. Committee chairman George Kariuki, the MP for Ndia, led the visit. Principal Secretary for Aviation and Aerospace Development Teresiah Mbaika and Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Moses Wekesa attended.
More than 100 machines were carrying out excavation and construction work at the time of the inspection, the committee observed.
The upgrade is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation, which also built the Standard Gauge Railway and the Nairobi Expressway. The design-and-build contract was signed on June 23, 2026. Mbaika signed for the government, while CRBC General Manager Yu Xiaodong represented the contractor.
Procurement has drawn scrutiny. The Ministry of Roads and Transport issued the tender on March 3, 2026, after the JKIA Integrated Master Plan was completed in February. A pre-bid conference in April attracted interest from more than 40 companies. The committee now wants to understand why the process sat with the ministry instead of the airports authority.
