KENYA: Passengers Stranded By Strike At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya

Scores of passengers have been stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya, after workers went on strike in protest at a planned takeover by an Indian business group.

Large queues formed outside Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday morning, as flights were delayed and cancelled.

Workers launched their protest over proposals to lease JKIA to the Adani group for 30 years.

The aviation workers union argues the deal is “opaque” and could lead to job losses, however union leaders on Wednesday evening said they would return to work and that normal operations would resume.

The government has defended the proposal, saying the airport in the capital, Nairobi, is operating beyond capacity and needs private investment to upgrade it.

On Wednesday morning, dozens of airport workers blew plastic trumpets and chanted “Adani must go”, according to footage shown on local broadcaster, Citizen Television.

Wilma van Altena, who was on holiday in Kenya but cut short her trip to return to the Netherlands for a funeral, was among those stuck at the airport.

“It’s been chaotic… there were hundreds of people outside the airport when we arrived and we stood around and eventually made it inside,” she told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

“We have no information. There’s nothing on the boards, we’ve heard nothing from the airline. I need to get home but I have no idea when that will happen.”

The Zimbabwe men’s football team was also stranded.

The squad had flown into Nairobi after an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game in Uganda, but had been given no information about their onward flight to Harare, an official who did not want to be named told the BBC.

Kenya Airways head Allan Kilavuka told the BBC that only a third of its scheduled flights had departed on Wednesday morning.

Workers at other airports across the country have also joined the strike.

The Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union has previously warned of an indefinite strike after the government failed to disclose details of the deal with the Adani Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates.

The Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission also criticized the plans, arguing that it is unreasonable to lease a strategic national asset to a private company.

The two parties filed a challenge to the High Court, which subsequently halted the deal to allow time for a judicial review.

The date for a final court decision has yet to be set.

In the proposal, the Adani Group would lease JKIA in exchange for a $1.85bn (£1.41bn) investment. The upgrades would involve a new runway and an improved passenger terminal.

In July, Kenyans protested against the takeover and threatened to shut down JKIA, citing allegations that the Adani Group had engaged in corrupt practices.