Kenya Airport Workers Call Off Strike After Meeting With CS Chirchir: "Sasa Tumemaliza Mgomo"

• KAWU called off their strike after a closed-door meeting with Transport CS Davis Chirchir, signalling a return to work
• KAWU secretary general Moses Ndiema announced workers would be allowed time to prepare before resuming duty
• He said the agreement gives KAWU workers veto power over decisions regarding the Kenya Airports Authority's deal with India’s Adani Group
• Ndiema firmly rejected any deal with Adani, stating the union's consent is now crucial for future agreements

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - Kenya Airport Workers Union (KAWU) has called off their industrial action following a closed-door meeting with Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, September 11, KAWU secretary general Moses Ndiema stated that the strike had ended and that the staff should prepare to return to work.

He asked the workers to take their time to prepare and return to work, adding that the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) should facilitate this.

"Now that we’ve ended the strike, right? The programme for returning to work is underway, but if there are those who need to be on duty right now and you are not in uniform, we request KAA management to facilitate you. If there are those who want to go home to bathe and then return to work, that’s fine.

Since we have been here since the day before yesterday, I haven’t bathed either. If this airport were better, we would have warm water to bathe and hotels where you would be taken to eat, but it doesn’t matter. We, the less fortunate, will live like this. So, nobody should harass you; no one should tell you to run away from work. I have made it clear to the government," he stated.

Why did KAWU call off their strike?

Ndiema revealed that the union had reached a consensus with the government, allowing workers to have a say in the decisions moving forward.

According to the agreement, the workers have been granted veto power, requiring their approval before the deal with India's Adani Group is finalised.

"We have not agreed to Adani. We will be given veto power, which our signature will be needed for it to move forward. That is acceptable. And even if they cut off the hand, I will not sign," he explained.

Why Francis Atwoli backed the strike

Earlier, Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli backed the strike by aviation workers.

Atwoli claimed former Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen refused to explain the Adani deal to the workers.

According to Atwoli, Cabinet secretaries in the Kenya Kwanza government are to blame for the current crisis.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke