Kenya Airport Workers Strike Over Adani Group Deal

Hundreds of workers at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport protested a deal between the government and India's Adani Group, fearing job losses. The industrial action has grounded planes, stranding passengers. The government plans include modernizing the airport with the new Adani Group agreement halted temporarily by a High Court order.

Hundreds of workers at Kenya's main international airport demonstrated on Wednesday against a planned deal between the government and India's Adani Group. As a result, planes have remained grounded, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport.

The government has stated that the build-and-operate agreement with the Adani Group would see the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport modernized, complete with an additional runway and terminal, in exchange for the group running the airport for 30 years.

The Kenya Airport Workers Union, in announcing the strike, said that the deal would lead to job losses and 'inferior terms and conditions of service' for those who will remain.

Kenya Airways announced on Wednesday there would be flight delays and possible cancellations due to the ongoing strike at the airport, which serves Nairobi.

Local flights coming from the port city of Mombasa and the lake city of Kisumu have also been affected, with delays reported by local media.

At the main airport, police officers had stepped in to handle security check-in roles, resulting in long lines outside the departure terminals and worried passengers unsure if their flights would depart as scheduled.

The Kenya Airports Authority said in a statement that it was 'engaging relevant parties to normalize operations' and urged passengers to contact their respective airlines to confirm flight status.

The Central Organization of Trade Unions' secretary-general, Francis Atwoli, told journalists at the airport that the strike could have been averted had the government listened to the workers.

'This was a very simple matter where the assurance to workers in writing that our members will not lose jobs and their jobs will remain protected by the government and as is required by law, and that assurance alone, we wouldn't have been here,' he said.

Last week, airport workers had threatened to go on strike, but those plans were called off pending discussions with the government.

Concerns were raised when unknown individuals were seen with airport officials taking notes and photographs, suggesting that the Indian firm officials were preparing for the deal, local media reported last week.

The High Court on Monday temporarily halted the implementation of the deal until a case filed by the Law Society and the Kenya Human Rights Commission is heard.

(With inputs from agencies.)