KHRC and Wanjiru Gikonyo requested a three-judge bench to hear the case. The court stated that it would decide on October 25, 2024.
High Court Judge John Chigiti issued orders temporarily halting Adani from taking over JKIA.
The judge also allowed KHRC and LSK leave to file a judicial review over the decision to lease JKIA.
Judicial review refers to the authority of the courts to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and various administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the Constitution.
The judge set October 8, 2024, as the mention date.
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Law Society of Kenya (LSK) moved to court to block the controversial takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by India's Adani Enterprises.
Adani Enterprises Limited submitted a proposal on March 1, 2024, to take over the running and management of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
In June, three months later, the government approved the relevant aviation policies, giving Adani a head start on the planned expansion of JKIA.
The privatization deal, which would grant Adani control of the airport for 30 years, ignited widespread public outrage over its secrecy and potential consequences.
Opposition to the agreement intensified, with airport workers protesting and demanding the plan be scrapped.
However, the government remained determined to push the deal forward.
Adani had pledged a Sh238 billion investment to "upgrade and expand" the airport, but Kenya can raise the necessary funds independently, without handing over control of a key national asset.
The Adani proposal was deemed unaffordable, threatened job losses, disproportionately exposed the public to fiscal risk, and offered no value for money to the taxpayer.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) sent letters to JKIA in July and August 2024 seeking details on the opaque contract. Despite rising public demand for transparency, the government continued to withhold information about the deal.
Reports indicated that after the 30-year lease period, Adani would retain an 18 percent equity stake in JKIA's aeronautical business indefinitely, entitling the company to a concession fee starting at Sh6 billion, with a 10 percent increase every five years.
KHRC and LSK moved to court to stop this deal, arguing that leasing a strategic and profitable national airport to a private entity is irrational and violates the principles of good governance, accountability, transparency, and the prudent use of public money.