Hundreds of employees at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya have gone on strike to protest a planned buyout of the airport by India’s Adani Group. The workers are objecting to a deal that would see the airport leased to the Indian conglomerate for 30 years in exchange for a $1.85 billion investment. The strike was organized by the Kenya Airport Workers Union, the largest aviation workers union in the country, who argue that the deal will result in job cuts and worsen employment conditions.
The strike, which started at midnight on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, led to the grounding of flights and left passengers stranded. The government defended the deal, saying it would result in the renovation of JKIA and the construction of a new runway and terminal. However, critics argue that the takeover would deny taxpayers future profits from the airport, which is a significant contributor to Kenya’s GDP.
Despite some minimal operations resuming at the airport, delays and cancellations of flights were reported. The strike has caused chaos at the airport, with long lines of passengers waiting for security checks and unsure if their flights would depart as scheduled. The Kenya Airports Authority is working to normalize operations and has advised passengers to contact their airlines for flight status updates.
The workers have demanded assurances that their jobs will be protected, and union leaders have stated that the strike could have been avoided if the government had listened to their concerns. The High Court has temporarily halted the implementation of the deal, pending a final verdict. The government maintains that the airport needs modernization but has not made a decision on whether to proceed with the proposed public-private partnership.
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