Zimbabwean tycoon Chivayo secures stake in $2.9bn Kenya airport deal

Wicknell Chivayo, a controversial Zimbabwean businessman with close ties to Kenyan President William Ruto, has secured a stake in the $2.9 billion expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Chivayo's firm, IMC Construction Kenya, has joined a consortium led by China Communications Construction Company, a Chinese state-owned engineering giant, alongside its subsidiary China Road and Bridge Corporation. The project involves building a new passenger terminal and an additional runway at Kenya's busiest airport, which handles around 8.8 million passengers a year.

The Kenyan government will contribute about $1.3 billion directly, with the remaining $1.6 billion financed through a syndicate of local and Chinese institutions. The consortium was awarded the contract following a competitive bidding process.

The deal has reignited concern over procurement transparency, coming less than two years after a previous award for the same project to India's Adani Group was cancelled following a corruption investigation.

Scrutiny has also focused on Chivayo's personal proximity to the Kenyan presidency. He has made several high-profile visits to State House and has publicly described Ruto as a mentor, drawing questions over how the stake was obtained.