Popular radio presenter Alex Mwakideu is at the center of a growing controversy involving allegations that he was paid to help sanitize the image of Adani, the Indian conglomerate embroiled in the controversial Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) deal.
The allegations, first brought to light by Nelson Amenya, a whistleblower, have sparked a heated debate on social media.
Mwakideu, known for his role on Radio 47, took to his social media accounts early Monday to vehemently deny the claims.
In a defiant post, he challenged Kenyans to find any evidence of him defending Adani, promising a cash reward of Ksh1 million for anyone who could prove it.
“I don’t know who posted this but I hear anaitwa Nelson Amenya. Check all my social media pages, and listen to Radio 47,” Mwakideu posted, adding,
“If you see anywhere that Alex Mwakideu has defended Adani in any way, I will give you Ksh1 million cash. This offer has no deadline, so take your time. All the best!”
The challenge, however, came just hours after Amenya posted a scathing accusation on his social media platforms.
According to Amenya, Mwakideu was allegedly paid by a Kenyan marketing company to use his platform to paint Adani in a favorable light.
Amenya claims that the radio host, along with other influencers, was part of a broader scheme designed to sway public opinion and deflect criticism from the controversial deal.
“Alex Mwakideu has been paid by [Marketing company] to paint Adani in good light on the radio airwaves. If you listen to him speak, it’s like he is defending Adani.
It’s like he has been paid,” Amenya wrote in his explosive post. He further promised to share more details on how this campaign was orchestrated to win over Kenyan minds.
Amenya, who became widely known after exposing details about the JKIA-Adani deal months ago, has been relentless in his accusations.
He has even hinted that more shocking revelations are forthcoming, promising Kenyans an insider look at Adani’s strategic moves in the country.
According to him, the marketing company has devised an elaborate three-month plan to promote the Indian conglomerate’s interests in Kenya, with four additional Adani projects allegedly in the pipeline, including one concerning the Mombasa port.
“Leaked emails from the CEO reveal an elaborate strategy to sanitize Adani interests in Kenya for the next three months.
He even goes ahead and says there are four more Adani projects in the pipeline, one of them being the Mombasa port,” Amenya claimed, citing unverified emails from the marketing company’s CEO.
Amenya alleged that a documentary on Adani was in the works, supposedly to be produced by a Kenyan journalist who had even traveled to India to gather footage.
However, Amenya claims that the production was halted by none other than the Kenyan Statehouse, though he did not provide concrete evidence to support this claim.
“I learned that they were sending a journalist to India to do a documentary on Adani, but Statehouse stopped it. This journalist interviewed me at some point too,” Amenya added.
Mwakideu is not the only public figure named in Amenya’s revelations.
On Sunday, Amenya posted another accusation, stating that several high-profile influencers had been engaged by the marketing company to rehabilitate Adani’s image in Kenya.
Although he has not named others involved, the allegations are painting a picture of a coordinated campaign to manage Adani’s public relations as criticism mounts over their role in the JKIA deal.
Amenya’s posts have also made waves in the political arena, where he has accused prominent figures of working behind the scenes to fast-track the deal with Adani.
He has gone as far as to allege that a well-known Kenya Kwanza politician traveled to India to sweeten the deal and ensure its swift execution.
On October 15, Amenya was hit with a court order barring him from publishing any further content linking the said politician to the Adani deal, pending the outcome of a defamation case.
Despite this, he continues to make bold claims about the inner workings of the JKIA-Adani saga, promising to reveal more details as the case unfs.
However, with mounting allegations and Amenya’s continued disclosures, the radio host finds himself embroiled in a scandal that could have far-reaching implications, not only for his career but also for the broader public perception of the Adani deal.
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