Operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were paralysed on Tuesday night and Wednesday after aviation workers went on a go-slow.
Long queues of stranded travellers characterized the airport after boarding and takeoff were delayed, sparking an outrage.
The disruption was the result of a formal strike by aviation workers.
This has been building up for weeks now.
This strike followed a notice issued by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) on August 12, where it strongly opposed the proposed leasing of JKIA to the Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
It also followed talks between the union and government officials which insiders said collapsed.
The KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema, in issuing the notice, had raised several concerns that such a deal was likely to see massive layoffs, introduction of foreign workers, and deterioration of working conditions.
Their grievances were not limited to the deal itself.
They also wanted the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Board of Directors and three senior managers to go, citing incompetence and mishandling of the leasing agreement.
They also demanded the sacking of two Kenya Airways security managers, citing serious allegations of gross misconduct including human trafficking, sexual harassment, and unfair promotion within the department.
However, there was a brief respite when KAWU announced a seven day postponement of the strike on 31 August. The delay was due to KAA’s partial concession—providing the union with the requested concession documents.
“We have deliberated about the issue today and it is our resolution that we make a further delay for our strike action for seven days,” Ndiema stated at the time.
Despite this temporary pause, the situation quickly deteriorated. Ten days later, with no significant response from Kenya Airways or KAA, the unionisable workers of both entities returned to their protest.
KAWU emphasised that they would only reconsider their strike if the proposed sale of JKIA was fully abandoned and if the KAA board and managers, as well as the two Kenya Airways security managers, resigned as demanded.
Failure by the State to avail the requisite paperwork, the Union said, is to solely blame for this drastic measure.
This move by the airport staff also comes barely a day after the High Court temporarily halted the proposed leasing of the airfield following a suit filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) at the High Court.
The two entities challenged the push to take over the running of JKIA by the Indian company for a period of 30 years and argued that the airport is a strategic and profitable national asset.
As such, the petitioners said the deal is irrational and violates the principles of good governance, accountability, transparency, and prudent and responsible use of public money.
The Indian firm has proposed to upgrade the airport, including the construction of a second runway and a new passenger terminal under a 30-year lease.
In the Sh246 billion deal, the Gautam Adani-owned Indian firm would upgrade the airport, including the construction of a second runway and a new passenger terminal, under a 30-year-build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.
The firm will also be expected to carry out renovations and refurbishments to the airport.
It will also be responsible for the development and operation of JKIA- Kenya’s largest aviation facility and East Africa’s busiest airport.
The government has defended the deal insisting that JKIA was stretched beyond its capacity of 7.5 million passengers a year and urgently needed improvements.
The statement said modernising JKIA could cost $2 billion, which the government was “constrained to fund due to the tight fiscal situation”.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir while appearing before Parliament for vetting defended the Sh246 billion deal with the Indian firm over the expansion and takeover of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport insisting that it is beneficial to the country.
“This is an off-balance sheet upgrade of the Kenya Airports Authority. If we can’t do it as the government, can we allow a private sector player to do it at a reasonable or competitive cost and return on investment?” Chirchir said.
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