Americans know him as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, DC.
But Kenyans know him as the Director-General of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) at the Treasury and the main explainer of the controversial deal in which Indian billionaire Gautam Adani wants to manage and develop the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) under an agreement. 30 year lease.
His name is Christopher Kirigwa, and he is a man who perhaps has the enviable privilege of holding two government jobs.
However, his boss, Treasury Minister John Mbadi, told senators that Mr Kirigwa only gets one salary from the treasury.
Kirigwa’s role has come under intense focus in the wake of the $2.047 billion (Sh264.7 billion) JKIA bid by the infrastructure-focused company owned by Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest man.
He was appointed Deputy Chief of the Kenyan Embassy in the United States in President William Ruto’s changes to the country’s foreign service on March 8 this year. More than six months later, Kirigwa has yet to report to his new office.
When Kenya’s Kwanzaa coalition came to power in September 2022, Kirigwa’s office was among the first to be shaken by the new administration.
Dr. Ruto’s government refused to approve the construction of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mao Expressway, which was approved by Mr. Kirigwa’s office, while French contractors were just waiting to begin construction work.
Two weeks after Kirigwa was transported to Washington, Kenya’s Kwanzaa administration canceled the public-private partnership contract to upgrade the $1.3 billion (Sh170.9 billion) road from Nairobi to Mau Peak, citing high toll fees.
Three months after President Ruto made the changes, he went to the United States at the invitation of his American counterpart, Joe Biden. On May 23, the White House will release the official dinner guest list, which includes all Kenyan officials who have accompanied the Kenyan president and the designations.
Mr. Kirigwa is listed as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington.
Last week, Kirigwa appeared before a Senate committee to highlight the controversial proposal made by Adani. He appeared as Director General of Public-Private Partnership at the Ministry of National Treasury and Economic Planning.
He also found himself highlighting his employment status: Was he a diplomat at the US Embassy or a Treasury Department employee?
Okiya Umtatah, a senator for Busia, sought to know what Kirigwa was doing in parliament instead of in Washington.
Mr. Umtatah asked: Was he (Mr. Kirigwa) someone’s gatekeeper before he moved to his headquarters in Washington as Deputy Head of the Kenyan Embassy in the United States?
Mr. Kirigwa replaces Ambassador David Gacheru as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, DC. Currently, neither Mr. Kirigwa nor Mr. Gacheru are listed as diplomatic staff on the embassy’s website.
Kirigwa, a career investment banker, told senators that he was not satisfied with the conditions he was given for his job, which is why he has not yet taken up his new position in Washington, DC.
He declined requests for comment on this story.
After a borrowing spree that left the country little room for more loans, then-President Uhuru Kenyatta tapped Kirigwa from Standard Chartered Bank, where he was CEO and regional head of sustainable finance for Africa and the Middle East, to help him raise funds. Private sector funds to continue building massive infrastructure. Mr. Kenyatta appointed Mr. Kirigwa in charge of the PPP Directorate in December 2020.
“I was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, D.C., in March of this year. Since then, there have been a lot of discussions and I have yet to accept my appointment.”
He added: “The reason for this is that the conditions that were presented do not match my current conditions,” without going into details.
If he had refused the appointment, Senator Amtah would have investigated further.
“I hope they will fix my terms. In fact, there is a letter sent to them two weeks ago.”
During Quiregua’s 17 years at Standard Chartered, he knew nothing else but deal making, which meant a political role such as deputy head of mission would not suit the career investment banker.
At the time President Ruto announced the changes affecting Mr Kirigwa, that was also when the PPP Directorate received the Private Sector Proposal (PIP) by Adani.
Mr Kirigwa accompanied Mr Mbadi to Parliament to answer questions on the controversial PIP project undertaken by Adani Airport Holdings to develop and manage JKIA Airport, the largest airport in the region.
While the 2024 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), published in February this year, says the PPP Directorate lists the development and management of JKIA 1E and 2E stations as one of the PPP projects in the pipeline, Mr Kirigwa told members The Senate said it was not until March 1, 2024, that they received a letter from the state Department of Transportation regarding Adani’s proposal.
He admitted that he had visited India, but insisted that the purpose of the visit was not at JKIA.
The Budget Controller, in his report, revealed that two officials from the Directorate of Public-Private Partnership went to Ahmedabad, India to engage with Adani Energy Solutions to facilitate the implementation of the latter’s PIPs. The cost of travel for the visit amounted to 1,252,540 shillings.
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