Nelson Amenya has ruled out the possibility of returning to Kenya any time soon.
The Kenyan, who is currently based in Paris, France, endeared himself to compatriots after exposing a multi-million dollar shilling Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Kenya had entered with the Adani Group Holdings, which would take over the operations of critical infrastructure in the country.
For instance, the respective subsidiaries of Adani were to partner with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) in the renovation and management of the country's power transmission infrastructure and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) respectively.
The deals angered Kenyans as they occurred, as per the revelations of Amenya, that they were shrouded in secretive machinations that would leave the Kenyan taxpayer fleeced billions.
Speaking to an Indian news channel, Amenya said he would not return to Kenya soon, having created enemies with his exposé.
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He revealed that he had been in receipt of threats from unnamed businesspeople and proxies of government officials involved in the deal.
The same was extended to his family and friends in a bid to silence him.
"Two months ago, I received threats on my life. They were looking for me, went to my parents, sent detectives to my friends. They have been snooping on my bank and following my money trail, trying to find something illegal to charge me with...The environment at the moment is very hostile. If I were in Kenya, they would not have sued me but arrested and jailed me without any charge," said Amenya.
He said he would be staying out of Kenya until he can be sure of his security when he returns.
Amenya appreciated the magnitude of the matter, adding that he was extra careful not to land in the trap of his new-found enemies.
"It is not safe to be in Kenya. To bring down a deal worth over $3 billion, I have obviously made a few enemies, and they would want to get back at me," he said.
The talk on Adani and its business in Kenya took an unforeseen turn on Thursday, November 21, when President William Ruto ordered the immediate cancellation of the procurement processes with KETRACO and JKIA.
As explained by the Head of State, the new orders were informed by new information regarding the integrity of the Indian company.
Ruto was referring to the recent move by US prosecutors to charge Indian billionaire Gautam Adani over bribery claims.
“I have stated in the past, and I reiterate today, that in the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action," he directed.
"Accordingly, I now direct - in furtherance of the principles enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution on transparency and accountability, and based on new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations - that the procuring agencies within the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum immediately cancel the ongoing procurement process for the JKIA Expansion Public Private Partnership transaction, as well as the recently concluded KETRACO transmission line Public Private Partnership contract."
Consequently, he directed the relevant procurement offices to seek alternative private entities interested in the two projects.
