It came to the notice of the National Assembly that Kenya Airways has been planning to takeover the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), in a plan that was tentatively said to operate for 30 years.
However, the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Thursday ordered an immediate halt to the process even as it called for a forensic audit by the office of the Auditor-General on how the deal was reached.
The MPs said the takeover plan in which KQ would tentatively run JKIA is suspect and a case of top forces conniving to rip off the taxpayers.
Committee chairman Abdullswamad Nassir directed Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to furnish the Auditor-General with all the documents regarding the deal for a comprehensive audit.
“If we don’t stop it now we will soon be here again talking about the same thing,” Mr Nassir said.
On his part, KAA Managing Director Jonny Andersen told the committee that KAA did not see the memo that approved the takeover, but he acknowledged that they received a letter from principal secretaries Paul Maringa and Esther Koimett confirming the Cabinet decision.
It also emerged that there was an audit by KPMG and that lawyers advised KAA against the deal, despite Sh15 million having been paid for the transactions.