A strike by workers at Kenya’s main international airport in Nairobi has led to flight delays and cancellations for both departing and arriving passengers, according to a report by the Kenya Airways on Wednesday.
The biggest union of Kenya’s aviation workers had revealed that they would take industrial action on Wednesday over an alleged planned deal for India’s Adani Group to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for 30 years.
However, the Kenya Aviation Workers Union, representing airport workers, had said that the proposed agreement which was announced to the public in July would lead to many job losses as non-Kenyan workers would be brought in.
Kenya’s government on the other hand, has said that the airport is operating above capacity and needs to be modernised but that it would not be for sale.
The government also said that no decision has been concluded on whether to proceed with what it calls a proposed public-private partnership to improve the site.
Videos posted on X revealed hundreds of passengers queuing outside JKIA’s single terminal after the strike began at midnight on Tuesday.
According to footage on local broadcaster Citizen TV, by Wednesday morning, several of airport workers were seen blowing plastic trumpets and chanting “Adani must go”. A police officer hitting a protester with a baton was also seen in the posted video.
On Monday, Kenya’s high court temporarily blocked the Adani proposal, in which the Indian company would erect a new runway and upgrade the passenger terminal, buying time for a judicial review challenging the lease.
