There is a reported overlap between Indian diplomatic engagement and Adani Group project announcements in Kenya and Bangladesh. But timing alone does not show that Indian diplomacy caused, directed or secured the deals. The two cases also differ sharply: Kenya’s airport arrangement never reached an executed concession, while Bangladesh’s power-purchase contract remains in operation as authorities consider its terms.
What does the timeline show—and what can it prove?
Scroll’s September 19, 2024 investigation traced sequences in which Indian diplomatic visits preceded Adani-related proposals or agreements. It reported that Kenyan President William Ruto visited New Delhi in December 2023, before Adani submitted its airport proposal in March 2024. In Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dhaka in June 2015 and publicly discussed India’s role in meeting the country’s electricity needs; Adani signed a memorandum of understanding two months later, and an implementation agreement followed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in April 2017.
Those dates support a question about alignment, not a finding of coordination. The chronology does not establish a diplomatic quid pro quo, government pressure, or that India secured either arrangement for Adani. No identified independent dataset or statistical study establishes a causal relationship between Indian diplomatic visits and Adani contract awards, so a numerical measure of “lockstep” would be misleading.
How do the Kenya and Bangladesh cases compare?
| Question | Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport | Bangladesh: Godda electricity supply |
|---|---|---|
| What was proposed or agreed? | Adani Enterprises proposed a 30-year airport arrangement. It did not become an executed concession. | Bangladesh’s Power Development Board signed a 25-year power-purchase agreement with Adani Power (Jharkhand) in November 2017 for electricity from the Godda plant in India. |
| Who were the parties? | Adani Enterprises and the Kenyan government were involved in the proposed airport concession. | The public buyer was Bangladesh’s Power Development Board; the seller was Adani Power (Jharkhand). |
| What happened in review? | The High Court temporarily halted implementation in September 2024. A Kenyan transport minister later told Parliament that no concession agreement had been executed. | In November 2024, Bangladesh’s High Court directed an inquiry into how the agreement was made and sought expert review and an explanation of whether its terms might be unlawful on public-interest grounds. That was not a final ruling that the contract was illegal. |
| What is the status? | President Ruto announced cancellation of the proposed airport arrangement in November 2024. | As of September 2026, electricity was still flowing under the agreement while review and possible revision or arbitration remained live. |
| What does the case establish about diplomacy? | The proposal followed Ruto’s New Delhi visit, but the sequence does not establish that the visit caused or secured it. | The agreement followed Modi’s Dhaka visit, but the sequence does not establish that the visit caused or secured it. |
What happened to the proposed Kenya airport deal?
Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Law Society of Kenya describe Adani Enterprises’ proposal as submitted on March 1, 2024. They say it envisaged a 30-year arrangement. A Kenyan High Court order temporarily halted implementation on September 9, 2024, after a legal challenge.
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On November 13, 2024, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir told the National Assembly that the court order prohibited implementation of the privately initiated proposal. He also clarified the deal’s legal status: “Therefore, no concession agreement has been executed between the Government of Kenya and Adani.” Chirchir said the process had stopped midway while a concession agreement was being developed. His account of the procurement process should be distinguished from the court order blocking implementation; neither means the airport was transferred to Adani.
On November 21, 2024, Ruto announced cancellation of the airport proposal and an Adani–Kenya Electricity Transmission Company deal, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s account of his state of the nation address. OCCRP reported that the announcement followed U.S. charges against Adani directors. Those charges are allegations, not adjudicated findings. OCCRP quoted Ruto as saying: “I have stated in the past and now reiterate today that in the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action.”
Why is Bangladesh’s power agreement still under scrutiny?
The Bangladesh agreement is not just a proposal: it is a long-term electricity purchase contract. Its public-interest and pricing questions have been examined while supply has continued.
Contract review is not the same as cancellation
In November 2024, Bangladesh’s High Court directed an inquiry into how the agreement was made and called for a committee of international energy and legal experts to review it. The court also asked authorities to explain why the deal should not be treated as unlawful if its terms were unconscionable, unfair, unequal or contrary to public interest. A request for an explanation—a rule to show cause—is not a final judgment that the agreement is illegal.
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On April 2, 2026, Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku told Parliament that the government was actively considering discussions with Adani Power to revise the agreement or pursuing international arbitration, based on a national committee report. As of that statement, those were options under consideration; Bangladesh had not announced that it had cancelled or renegotiated the contract.
Supply continued during the review
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that both 800 MW units at Godda had resumed operation on September 13, 2026, and that the plant was then supplying 1,046.73 MW to Bangladesh’s grid. That is a dated operating snapshot, not a permanent output level. The report describes the 2017 contract as covering 1,600 MW over 25 years.
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What the reported tariff figures do—and do not—say
CNA reported that Bangladesh paid Adani 14.87 taka per unit in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, compared with an average 9.57 taka per unit for electricity supplied by other Indian companies in that same fiscal year. These are historical figures, not current tariff quotations. The available comparison does not establish that the supplies had identical terms, costs or characteristics, so the difference alone cannot explain the full economics of the contract.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is India’s Nepal-to-Bangladesh power link part of the Adani deal?
No. India’s Ministry of Power described a separate, state-facilitated regional transaction: electricity from Nepal supplied to Bangladesh through India’s grid. India announced the plan during Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’s’ visit in May–June 2023. NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, Nepal Electricity Authority and Bangladesh Power Development Board signed a tripartite power-sales agreement on October 3, 2024. The first transaction, announced in November 2024, was for up to 40 MW. This initiative concerns regional grid connectivity; it is distinct from Bangladesh’s private power-purchase contract with Adani Power.
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