NAIROBI - Kenya has launched a tender for the construction of a new ​airport adjacent ⁠to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, the country's ‌transport minister said.

* In November 2024, Kenya President William Ruto ordered ​the cancellation of a procurement process that had been set to ​grant control of JKIA ​to India's Adani Group, following the indictment of its founder, Gautam Adani, in the United States.

* ⁠Under the proposed deal worth nearly $2 billion, the Adani Group was to add a second runway at JKIA and upgrade the passenger terminal in exchange for a ​30-year lease.

* ‌Roads and ⁠Transport Minister Davis ⁠Chirchir said in a statement late on Tuesday that airports operator ​Kenya Airports Authority issued a tender ‌to build a new airport next ⁠to JKIA, and to upgrade the existing airport's facilities.

* Kenya's government has previously stated that JKIA is operating beyond capacity and requires modernisation, but emphasised that the airport was not for sale.

* As of 2025, JKIA handled roughly 9 million passengers, above its design capacity of 7.5 million passengers annually, Chirchir said.

* The tender ‌is for the construction of a new ⁠passenger terminal to handle 10 million passengers ​annually and develop new taxiways, among other things.

* Neighbouring Ethiopia is also constructing a new airport, which officials say will ​be Africa's ‌biggest upon completion in 2030.