According to the government, the Adani Group of India would manage the airport for 30 years in exchange for renovations to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
On Wednesday, hundreds of laborers at the primary international airport in Kenya staged a protest against a proposed agreement between the foreign investor and the government.
Since Tuesday night, when the Kenya Airport Workers Union (KAWU) declared an indefinite strike at midnight in opposition to the government’s plan to lease the airport to India’s Adani Group, a number of travelers have been left stranded at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
According to the government, the Adani Group will manage the airport for 30 years in exchange for renovations to the existing airport and the construction of a new runway and terminal.
When the strike was announced, the Kenya Airport Workers Union claimed that those who would stay would have “inferior terms and conditions of service” and that job losses would result from the agreement.
“The administration is not sincere, nor have they been truthful. Not all of the documents we asked for were given to us. Moss Ndiema, secretary general of the Kenya Airport Workers Union (KAWU), told local media on Tuesday that the organization’s only goal is for the government to revoke the Adani agreement.
Due to the protest, there were major delays, long lines, and grounded flights, which forced many people to cancel both domestic and international travel.
The airport welcomes more than 8.8 million travelers each year, but it has long struggled with old infrastructure, leaky roofs, and frequent power outages.
Additional strikes
Airport employees had planned to go on strike last week, but those plans were shelved as negotiations with the government continued.
There were indications last week that the Indian firm executives were getting ready for the sale when airport officials saw unidentified individuals roaming around and taking pictures and notes.
The deal’s execution was momentarily stopped by the High Court on Monday while the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Law Society’s lawsuit was being heard.
