Nairobi, Sep 2 (IANS): Kenyan aviation workers on Monday held a peaceful demonstration at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, protesting plans to lease the airport to an Indian company.
The strike, organised by the Kenya Airports Authority workers, caused significant flight delays, leaving passengers stranded even after checking in.
The workers are opposing a Public-Private Partnership that would allow Adani Group Holdings to take over operations at one of the East Africa's busiest airports. The disruption came despite a previous announcement by Kenya Aviation Workers Union Secretary General Moses Ndiema that the strike would be postponed for seven days to review the lease agreement.
On Monday, however, Ndiema said that the delays were due to workers marching to present their grievances to airport management. Passengers said that the check-in process took as long as three hours. One frustrated traveler said "the transfer desk is overwhelmed because one machine has broken down, and no one is here to help us." The disruptions began Monday at 5 am, local time, Xinhua news agency reported.
The workers expressed concern that the Adani deal could jeopardize their jobs, favoring foreign workers instead. Despite the opposition, Kenyan President William Ruto has defended the proposed deal, saying "let's be honest, Kenyans. The airport we have in Nairobi is made of canvas. This is a temporary structure we built almost seven years ago. Ethiopia has a brand new airport, and Rwanda the same. That's why we need to work with investors to build a new airport in Nairobi."
The union is calling for a halt to all stakeholder engagements regarding the deal until they have had time to thoroughly review the documents presented by the government. According to the Ministry of Roads and Transport, JKIA handles 80 percent of network passengers and 90 percent of cargo operations, with the capacity to process 35 aircraft per hour.
Ndiema said that the "intended sale of JKIA" to the Indian company does not meet legal requirements for public participation and excludes union members, who are key stakeholders. The government, however, has denied that the airport is being sold, emphasizing that no final deal has been reached regarding the proposed public-private partnership.
The agreement with the Indian firm includes the construction of a new passenger terminal and the refurbishment of existing facilities under a 30-year build-operate-transfer contract.