Chinese in Sh55b Green Field terminal project arrested

A Chinese expatriate whose company is embroiled in controversy over the cancelled Green Field terminal project has been arrested.

And the new Kenya Civil Aviation House and Terminal 1A and E at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) launch, which was scheduled for today, was postponed until further notice, the Ministry of Transport said.

Hongyou Huang, alias Yellow, the Vice President of China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation (Catic), is being held at the Kilimani police station over tax evasion claims.

Mr Huang may be deported if the allegations are confirmed to be true. Authorities will make a decision on the way forward today. Visitors were not allowed to see him at the station.

“The official commissioning of KCAA (Kenya Civil Aviation Authority) Hse, Terminal 1A & E at JKIA, scheduled for Monday has been postponed till further notice,” the ministry said in a tweet.

Contract cancelled

Officials at Kilimani police station said Huang was booked there by Kenya Revenue Authority personnel.

“We are just holding him because he was booked here by other agencies,” said Kilimani Officer Commanding Police Division Peter Katam.

The Chinese firm won the contract to design and build the facility that was to be financed by a loan from the African Development Bank. But the Sh55 billion contract was cancelled in March amid controversy.

President Uhuru Kenyatta defended the decision, saying the infrastructure that was put up after the international arrivals terminal was destroyed by fire in August 2013 was sufficient to meet the needs of passengers who transit through Nairobi.

“We established that with all the additional facilities we had now, we had developed an airport that is capable of handling eight million passengers per year. Why do we need to spend another Sh55 billion to achieve what we have already achieved?” he posed.