Nelson Amenya on why he revealed the details

Kenyan business student Nelson Amenya has been hailed as a hero by those campaigning for greater transparency in the deals his government makes with private companies.

Kenya’s recent history is littered with stories of huge contracts that have resulted from corruption and, despite laws that are supposed to prevent this from happening, there are suspicions that it continues to occur.

Thirty-year-old Amenya, who is studying an MBA in France, leaked details on social media of what she said was a proposed deal between Kenya and the Adani Group, an Indian multinational, in July.

It concerned the management of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the largest airport in the country and the region, which has long been in need of a complete overhaul.

“The first feeling I had (when the documents were approved) was that it was just another government agreement… I didn’t understand the magnitude or the seriousness of it,” said Amenya, whose profile as an anti-corruption activist had appeared in the increase, he tells the BBC.

The documents detailed a $2bn (£1.6bn) proposal by the Adani Group to lease JKIA for 30 years in order to modernize and manage it.

As he began reading the newspapers, he felt that if he went ahead, “it was going to hurt the Kenyan economy,” while all the profits would go to the Indian multinational.

As he read, the deal struck him as unfair, as Kenya would continue to provide most of the money but not reap the financial rewards.

Mr Amenya had good reason to believe the documents were authentic, as “the people who gave them to me were from very legitimate government departments,” he says.

The Adani Group is involved in infrastructure, mining and energy projects worldwide, in countries such as Israel, United Arab Emirates, France, Tanzania, Australia and Greece. Its founder, Gautam Adani, is a major player in the Indian economy and a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Reading further, Amenya says he discovered that Adani’s deal with Kenya could have left his country on the hook for paying the company if it didn’t recoup its investment.

“This was a huge breach of trust in the people by the leadership of the president, the Kenya Airports Authority, the minister; they all betrayed the people,” he alleges.

Despite the evidence in her hands, Amenya didn’t know what to do next. Their own safety was at risk, although being in France was better than being in Kenya, where anti-corruption activists have been attacked and some killed.

“I was a little scared. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m risking my career, I’m risking my life, why should I take the risk of doing this?” he asked himself at that moment.

However, in the end he felt that staying silent was not an option.

“You know, only cowards live long.”

After spending weeks reviewing what had been sent to him, Amenya leaked the documents on his X page in July, immediately sparking outrage in Kenya.

Workers at JKIA airport went on strike demanding the agreement be cancelled.

“I felt it as a duty to me, to my country. Even if I am far away, I still have a duty to my country. I want to see a better Kenya, for my home country to develop, industrialize and end corruption.” “

He worried that the airport deal was a harbinger of what could come next.

Amenya says it was not just the unusual terms and lack of transparency that raised alarm bells, but also, he alleges, Kenya’s laws appeared to have been systematically ignored.

“(Authorities) never did due diligence for this company…they did not follow the due acquisition process.”

It alleges that some government officials hoped to circumvent legal requirements, including public consultation, that are supposed to prevent taxpayers’ money from being wasted.

An April report by the Kenya Airports Authority on the proposed deal highlighted that there was no plan to consult stakeholders on the plan.

“This was in April, and in July, when I was exposing this, they had not done any public participation. This agreement was quite secret, and at that time they were only a month away from signing it,” Amenya alleges.

“After I exposed this deal was when they quickly tried to come and do fake public engagement – ​​they called Kenya Airports Authority staff and started having meetings with stakeholders.”

Several officials and branches of the State denied accusations of corruption in the process and the authorities signed another multi-million dollar agreement with the Adani Group, this time to build power lines.

The Adani Group said Amenya’s claims were baseless and malicious.

A spokesperson told the BBC that “the proposal was submitted following Kenya’s public-private partnership regulations and aimed to create a world-class airport and significantly improve Kenya’s economy by creating numerous new jobs.”

The Adani Group further claims that no contract was signed because “discussions did not progress to a binding agreement.”

The company also says the proposed energy deal was legitimate and that it “categorically rejects all allegations and insinuations of any violation of Kenyan laws in our operations or proposals.

“Every project we undertake is governed by a strong commitment to compliance, transparency and the laws of the respective countries in which we operate,” the statement read.

But it was not Amenya’s leak that really changed the government’s mind.

Only when US authorities charged Gautam Adani with alleged involvement in a $250m (£200m) bribery scheme did Kenya act.

Representatives of the Adani Group denied the accusations of US prosecutors, calling them “baseless.”

In a state of the nation address in parliament last month, Kenyan President William Ruto announced the cancellation of both deals with Adani.

“In the face of indisputable evidence or credible information about corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action,” Ruto said in a speech that was met with loud applause inside parliament.

Kenyans welcomed the decision, which Ruto attributed to new information provided by investigative agencies and partner countries.

“I was in class when this announcement came. I couldn’t believe it,” says Mr. Amenya.

“I think in the first hour I had tears in my eyes. I was very happy.”

Although he does not consider himself a hero, messages of support came from all over, including India.

Forty minutes after class ended, he posted his now famous tweet “Bye Adani!!” – Goodbye Adani.

“It was earth-shattering…Everything I did finally paid off.”

The feeling of triumph, however, came after months of struggle and personal pressure.

Shortly after exposing the airport deal, Amenya was sued for defamation by an Adani Group representative and a Kenyan politician, leaving him questioning whether he should continue.

“Some people from the government came to see me, they were even willing to pay me, they told me: ‘You have to withdraw money and just stop this fight with the government,'” he recalls.

“It would have been the biggest mistake of my life to surrender, a betrayal to the people of Kenya.”

But even after scrapping the deals, President Ruto still wonders why Kenyans opposed this and many other projects he has championed. He says he will find a way to improve the airport.

“I saw them say that those who stopped the improvement of our airport are heroes. Heroes? What do you gain when you stop the construction of an airport in your country?” Ruto asked at a public function in early December.

“You have no idea how it’s going to be built, and those who oppose it haven’t even set foot inside an airport, you just want to oppose it.”

Amenya, who is still facing defamation cases, is now fundraising to help with her legal fees and says her future in Kenya is uncertain.

“I have received threats from credible intelligence agencies and from people in Kenya who have warned me not to return because obviously there are some people who are very angry with what I did,” he says.

A high price, but one that Mr Amenya says he would be happy to pay again.

“We don’t really need to wait for someone to save us,” he says.