Modi leads, Adani follows: Is India’s diplomacy in lockstep with a private group’s global expansion?

The Kenyan high court last week suspended a proposed deal that would have given the Adani Group rights to run the Nairobi airport for 30 years – its first airport venture outside India. The court order is a setback to the group’s plans to expand its global footprint.

Notably, this expansion has closely followed in the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic engagements. Most Adani projects outside India, whether in the neighbourhood or further afield, were announced within months of Modi visiting the country or meeting its head of state, Scroll’s analysis shows.

The Kenyan prime minister, for instance, visited New Delhi in December 2023. Three months later, in March, the Adani Group submitted a proposal to upgrade and expand the Nairobi airport. In June, the Kenyan authorities changed the national aviation policy and approved an airport investment plan.

After whistleblower documents brought this to light, the Kenyan Human Rights Commission and the bar association filed a legal challenge, arguing that “leasing a strategic and profitable national airport to a private entity is irrational”, more so because it was being done in secrecy, without any competitive bidding. The High Court temporarily halted the proposed deal on September 9.

As questions were raised in the Kenyan Parliament and criticism mounted on social media, a government advisor said...

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