Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has rejected claims that the proposed expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) will require Ksh375 billion.
Speaking before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, June 17, Mbadi told legislators that the project is currently estimated at Ksh155 billion, less than half the figure circulating among some Kenyans.
“Senator Onyonka, I know reports have put the JKIA project at about 2.9 billion dollars. The figure I have is half of that, at 1.2 billion dollars,” Mbadi said.
Mbadi cautioned lawmakers and the public against relying on unverified figures circulating in the media, particularly those from certain newspapers.
“You do not rely on figures that are flying around, especially from some print media, some specific newspapers,” the CS added.
During questioning, Mbadi also assured legislators that the JKIA expansion would not increase the country’s debt levels in any way.
According to the CS, the airport upgrade is among the projects being considered under the proposed National Infrastructure Fund, a financing model designed for major development projects.
Mbadi’s clarification comes after reports claimed the JKIA expansion deal would cost Ksh375 billion and that China Communications Construction Company had secured a major stake in the tender.
However, the government has not yet released full details on the financing structure, procurement process, or final cost of the planned modernisation of the country’s main airport.
The infrastructure plan includes phased development, capital expenditure planning, and financial feasibility projections.
The latest developments come months after President William Ruto announced that construction work would begin in June 2026, after the government received seed capital for the NIF from the privatisation of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).
Speaking in March this year, the Head of State said the government would use Ksh20 billion from the proceeds of the KPC sale as seed funding for the expansion of the 68-year-old airport.