KAA Accuses JKIA Workers Of Engaging In Strike Over Adani Deal Against Court Order

• Airport workers went on strike on Wednesday, September 11, paralysing activities at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)
• The workers, under the umbrella body Kenya Airports Workers Union (KAWU), demanded a stop to the implementation of Adani Holdings' deal to run JKIA
• Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the strike was against a court order and it would restore normalcy

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia has over five years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting and offers deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has responded to the ongoing workers' strike over the Adani JKIA deal.

KAA accused some of its staff under the Kenya Airports Workers Union (KAWU) of downing their tools contrary to an existing court order.

What's the current situation at JKIA?

According to the authority, the workers paralysed airport operations, but as of 7am, normalcy had resumed after it engaged relevant parties.

"Early this morning, a section of unionisable airport workers at JKIA engaged in a strike contrary to the Court Order Case Number: ELRCC/E648/2024.

"As of 7:00 am, minimal operations had resumed. In the meantime, we are engaging relevant parties to normalise operations," said KAA in a public notice on Wednesday, September 11.

KAA engages workers over Adani deal

In August 2024, KAWU postponed the planned strike initially scheduled after KAA reached out for an engagement.

KAWU members raised concerns that leasing JKIA to Adani could result in job losses, reduced benefits, and worsened working conditions.

KAA and the government held a stakeholder engagement session on August 20, 2024, to address these concerns.

The authority noted that Adani Airport Holdings' proposal is currently undergoing technical, financial, and legal reviews.

In the notice of the strike situation, KAA apologised for any inconvenience and appreciated customer patience and understanding during the disruption.

The authority further encouraged passengers to reach out to their respective airlines to confirm their flight status.

Have Kenya Airways flights been disrupted?

This followed an announcement from Kenya Airways cautioning customers of possible flight cancellation.

Kenya Airways reported delays and possible cancellation of flights following the strike.

Hundreds of passengers remained stranded at the airport as KQ promised to monitor the situation and offer a solution.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke