A Chinese firm has started works on Sh900 million refurbishment of the terminals 1B and C at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after the Procurement Administrative Review Board gave the process a clean bill.
The firm, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation, was among 15 other companies that had placed bids for the tender to upgrade the two terminals at the JKIA but its selection saw other parties raise objection.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the firm won the tender after following all the due process.
A Chinese firm has started works on Sh900 million refurbishment of the terminals 1B and C at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after the Procurement Administrative Review Board gave the process a clean bill.
The firm, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation, was among 15 other companies that had placed bids for the tender to upgrade the two terminals at the JKIA but its selection saw other parties raise objection.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the firm won the tender after following all the due process.
“We awarded the tender to this Chinese firm after successfully bidding for it,” said KAA acting managing director Alex Gitari in an interview with the Business Daily.
The company has already started work at the terminal having brought down the facility to allow fresh construction which is projected to take a year.
A number of bidders had claimed that KAA awarded the tender outside the law and to a foreign entity that did not submit its bid. They wanted the procurement watchdog to review the decision.
KAA, however, refuted the claim and said the tender was awarded in accordance with the procurement guidelines.
The complainants said the tender register showed that the entity that bid for the tender was called China Jiangxi International Economic at a sum of Sh963,541,535, and not the one that was awarded the contract.
“Looking at the tender register, China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation did not submit a bid. However, another entity China Jiangxi International Economic is indicated to have submitted,” one of the complainants said in the suit papers filed with the board.
The 12-month upgrade, which aims at refurbishing the departure halls at the two terminals will also improve the check-in activity and enhance passenger lounge experience for travellers.
The development will also ease passenger flow and increase efficiency due to the centralisation of security screening procedures and the reallocation of available floor spaces to international departure gates.
KAA has in the recent years cancelled a number of projects including the construction of the second runway and the Green Field terminal.
The JKIA is a major hub for passengers connecting to Europe, US and even the Middle East.
Kenya’s delay with the expansion of JKIA comes at a time when regional countries are revamping their airport infrastructure as they position themselves to attract global airlines.
