(Posted 13th June 2026)
Kenya has reportedly selected a Chinese construction company CCCC to carry out a $2.9 billion expansion of its main international airport, two years after a previously proposed 30-year concession deal with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s company was cancelled after a public outcry.
- The Adani deal faced criticism over concerns regarding national sovereignty and transparency, leading to protests and legal challenges.
- China’s CCCC already has a presence in Kenya through other large scale infrastructure projects.
The Kenyan government reportedly gave China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC) an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to modernize and expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, East Africa’s busiest aviation hub,.
The works will also include a long overdue second runway for the airport to ensure that regular runway closures in cases of accidents no longer cripple air transport into Kenya’s main hub airport.
The new contract boosts China’s position as Kenya’s dominant infrastructure partner. CCCC already has a substantial presence in the country, having participated in several flagship projects, including railway developments, a 60,000-seat stadium, major road infrastructure, and a convention centre.
Sources said construction on the airport upgrade is expected to begin this month already. Funding will partly come from proceeds of privatisation channelled through Kenya’s newly established National Infrastructure Fund. Additional financing will be secured through commercial loans backed by future air passenger service charges.
The move will finally counter major airport projects in the wider Eastern African region, such as Bugesera outside Kigali and the new international airport outside Addis Ababa, which is set to reach on final completion a capacity of 120 million passengers – making it the largest airport in Africa.
