Kenya airport strike leaves passengers stranded

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and other airports across Kenya on Sunday and Monday, as aviation workers resumed a nationwide strike over pay and working conditions.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) called the industrial action after a framework agreement signed on July 27 failed to resolve its grievances. The union cited poor remuneration, unfair hiring practices, unfulfilled employment benefits, and concerns over a proposed takeover of JKIA by Kenya Airways. Workers from the Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and Jambojet are participating in the go-slow.

Kenya Airways warned passengers that delays of more than six hours were being experienced, and the flight backlog forced the airline to cancel some departures. By 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, only 30% of its scheduled flights had departed, with average delays of two to three hours. The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed a host of delayed, cancelled, or diverted flights. RwandAir cancelled two flights due to air traffic control constraints.

Daystar University student Nicole Jepkorir told Citizen Digital that her flight, scheduled for 4 p.m., had been pushed back to midnight. “It’s very inconvenient,” she said. Another traveller, William Obino, told AFP: “Nothing is happening; updates are reaching us late. It’s ruining our itinerary.”

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said it was working to minimise disruption and advised passengers to confirm flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

Talks between the union and government officials broke up on Sunday without agreement. A new round of negotiations was due to resume on Monday.

SOURCE: MRA