CS Wandayi Responds to Uproar Over Ksh 32B Adani US Indictment
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has stepped forward to defend the Kenyan government amid growing backlash over its partnership with the Adani Group, following the group’s indictment by a U.S. federal court on allegations of corruption.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Finance on Thursday, November 21, Wandayi assured lawmakers that Kenya exercised thorough due diligence before engaging the Indian conglomerate. “On the matter of Adani’s indictment, under section 41 of the Private Public Partnership (PPP) Act, we have an elaborate mechanism for undertaking due diligence,” Wandayi explained.
He further outlined that the Treasury, alongside the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), carried out a two-phased review of Adani’s financial and legal records.
The first phase involved scrutinizing Adani’s technical, financial, legal, and logistical capacity based on documents provided by the company. “Phase one involved a documentary review of all soft copies of the documents submitted by the Adani Group to demonstrate their capacity to undertake similar projects,” the CS told the committee.
Wandayi highlighted that the second phase of due diligence validated Adani’s compliance with legal and tax obligations in its home country, India. “The proponent also provided legal documents demonstrating their compliance with all legal requirements, including tax compliance,” he stated.
Despite these assurances, the indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) paints a damning picture. According to the DoJ, Adani executives, including CEO Gautam Adani, allegedly paid over $250 million (approximately Ksh32 billion) in bribes to Indian officials to secure green energy supply contracts fraudulently.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lisa Miller said the bribes aimed to deceive U.S. investors and banks, raising billions of dollars while obstructing justice.
In a strongly worded rebuttal, the Adani Group dismissed the allegations as “baseless.” “The allegations made by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” the company stated.
The controversy has placed Kenya’s partnership with Adani under intense scrutiny, raising questions about the integrity of the government’s vetting processes.
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CS Wandayi Responds to Uproar Over Ksh 32B Adani US Indictment
