A strike by workers at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) led to widespread flight delays and cancellations on Wednesday, affecting both departing and arriving passengers, according to Kenya Airways.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union, the country’s largest aviation workers’ union, initiated the industrial action in response to a proposed agreement allowing India’s Adani Group to lease JKIA for 30 years.
The union expressed concerns that the deal, announced in July, would lead to job losses and the introduction of non-Kenyan workers.
The Kenyan government has maintained that while the airport operates beyond its capacity and requires modernization, it is not for sale.
The authorities clarified that no final decision had been made regarding the proposed public-private partnership aimed at upgrading the facility.
Social media posts on the platform X showed large crowds of passengers waiting outside the airport’s terminal after the strike commenced at midnight on Tuesday.
By Wednesday morning, local broadcaster Citizen TV captured footage of dozens of protesting airport workers blowing trumpets and chanting, “Adani must go.” The broadcast also showed a police officer striking a protester with a baton.
Earlier this week, Kenya’s high court temporarily halted the Adani Group’s proposal, which includes plans to build a new runway and upgrade the terminal, allowing time for a judicial review of the lease agreement.
