By Frank Kamuntu
Several flights were canceled, and hundreds of travelers were left stranded at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after aviation workers began a strike over a proposal to lease the airport to India’s Adani Group for 30 years. Those workers want the deal canceled over fears of mass layoffs.
At 10:00 am on Wednesday, a spot check by TechCabal showed that no flight had landed or taken off at the country’s main airport. Data from Flightradar, a global flight tracking platform, recorded minimal activity at East Africa’s busiest transport hub.
The disruption has affected both international and domestic flights.
“Kenya Airways would like to alert you that due to the action by some JKIA staff, this has resulted in some delays and possible cancellations of some of our flights for both departing and arriving passengers,” Kenya Airways said in a notice to passengers.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, the government’s last-minute efforts to stop the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) failed after the representatives accused state officials and airport management of ignoring their demands.
“The government has failed to provide the documents we requested for the Adani deal. The strike will go on until the government stops the deal,” said Moss Ndiema, KAWU secretary general.
A Kenyan high court suspended the 30-year build-operate-transfer concession until it rules. The privately-initiated project by Gautam Adani’s firm has been opposed over controversial clauses including stopping Kenya from building or expanding other competing airports for 30 years.
While the government has defended the deal as the best option to expand JKIA amid a cut in development budgets, it maintains that a decision has not been made to proceed with the lease.
On September 3, Kenya sent 16 officials to India for due diligence including inspecting the company’s financial records. At the same time, the Indian conglomerate sent representatives to Nairobi, signalling that the deal could be in advanced stages.
“Secret, unknown, unexplained and clandestine movements and activities by Adani employees, agents or assigns around JKIA and related installations be halted and stopped forthwith,” KAWU said in a notice.
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