Strike at Nairobi Airport Causes Flight Disruptions Amid Controversial Deal
A strike by workers at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Kenya’s main international airport, has resulted in flight delays and cancellations for both incoming and outgoing passengers, Kenya Airways reported on Wednesday.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union initiated the strike in protest of a proposed deal to lease JKIA to India’s Adani Group for 30 years. The union, the largest in Kenya’s aviation sector, argues that the agreement, announced in July, would result in job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers, threatening the livelihoods of local employees.
On Wednesday morning, dozens of airport workers were seen blowing plastic trumpets and chanting “Adani must go,” according to footage aired on Citizen TV, a local broadcaster. The footage also showed a police officer striking a protester with a baton during the demonstration.
The Kenyan government has stated that while JKIA is operating above capacity and requires modernization, the airport is not for sale. It emphasized that no final decision has been made regarding the proposed public-private partnership aimed at upgrading the airport.
By 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Wednesday, the Kenya Airports Authority reported that minimal operations at JKIA had resumed and that it was working with relevant parties to normalize the situation.
Videos on the social media platform X showed hundreds of passengers queuing outside JKIA’s single terminal as the strike began at midnight on Tuesday.
The strike also spread to regional airports in Kisumu and Mombasa on Wednesday morning, as reported by Kenya’s Nation newspaper.
Kenya’s high court on Monday temporarily blocked the Adani proposal, which includes building a new runway and upgrading the passenger terminal, to allow for a judicial review challenging the lease agreement.
