A widespread work stoppage organized by aviation employees has thrown operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya’s busiest and most strategically important air gateway, into chaos, leaving hundreds of domestic and international passengers stranded amid widespread flight delays and cancellations. The industrial action, led by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), stems from long-simmering worker grievances that union leaders say have been ignored by airport management for months.
On Monday, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) acknowledged the disruption in an official public statement, confirming that multiple flights had been impacted by the walkout, and urged all passengers planning to travel through the hub to contact their airline directly to confirm flight status before departing for the airport. The strike has already hit operations of Kenya’s largest carrier, Kenya Airways, and its low-cost subsidiary Jambojet, both of which have reported extensive delays across their route networks.
KAWU’s industrial action is centered on three core demands: an end to what the union calls unfair hiring practices, significant improvements to worker compensation packages, and the withdrawal of proposed restructuring changes to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s senior management framework. A top priority for the union is blocking KAA’s plan to deploy volunteer workers to fill frontline staff roles, a policy union leaders argue devalues the work of trained, full-time aviation employees and puts long-term job security for existing staff at risk.
Many stranded travelers expressed their frustration with the disruption at the airport over the weekend and Monday. Hellen Moraa, a business traveler who was scheduled to fly to the Netherlands via Dubai, told reporters that the unplanned delay will lead to major financial losses for her work commitments. “It is unfair that ordinary passengers are caught in the middle of a dispute that is not of our making,” Moraa said.
Union leader Moss Ndiema confirmed that KAWU representatives held a new round of negotiating talks with senior government officials on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to avoid the strike. However, after hours of discussions, the two sides failed to reach a binding agreement on any of the union’s core concerns, including job security protections and revised employment terms that KAWU says remain unaddressed by KAA and the government. Ndiema added that the union has repeatedly accused KAA of failing to provide adequate support and fair working conditions for its workforce.
This is not the first major disruption to hit the key regional travel hub this year. A similar KAWU-led strike in February also left thousands of passengers stranded at the airport, which serves as a critical connecting hub for travel across East Africa and intercontinental journeys between Africa, Europe, and Asia.