In a major legal setback, the High Court has put on hold the Ksh 95 billion contract between the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) and India’s Adani Energy. This agreement, intended to establish power transmission lines and stations with a 30-year management term, was suspended pending further court determination.
Justice Andrew Bahati Mwamuye issued a conservatory order, halting any project actions among Ketraco, Adani Energy, and related parties, and scheduled a compliance mention for November 11. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), challenging the agreement, argues that it lacks transparency and contravenes constitutional standards of integrity, accountability, and openness.
President William Ruto defended the deal, highlighting its potential to reduce Kenya’s debt dependency and lower power costs by leveraging Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for large-scale infrastructure projects.
In a separate, related court case, Justice John Chigiti referred a petition opposing the proposed 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Adani to Chief Justice Martha Koome for empanelment of a bench to hear the matter, filed by LSK and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
