A planned strike by workers at Kenya’s international airport has been postponed once more, this time for another week, following an initial two-week delay earlier in August, according to a statement from a union on Saturday.
Approximately 10,000 members of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union were originally set to strike on August 19 due to the Kenyan government’s intention to finalize an investment agreement with India’s Adani Group to develop and manage Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The strike was initially postponed to September 2 to allow for further negotiations and has now been delayed again.
The union stated on X that the industrial action would be paused for seven days to allow time to fully understand and formally articulate their demands to the government concerning the Adani Group’s proposals.
Additionally, the union has demanded an immediate halt to any inventory assessments by the Indian company at JKIA and the cancellation of a planned trip to India by management and government officials on September 2.
The union has expressed strong opposition to the deal, viewing it as a covert attempt to privatize the airport.
Under the deal, Adani is set to invest $1.85 billion to expand the airport, which includes adding a new runway and upgrading the passenger terminal, with operational rights for 30 years, as reported by AFP and confirmed by the Kenya Airport Authority (KAA).
The Kenyan government advocates for the deal, arguing it is crucial for upgrading JKIA, a major African hub plagued by issues like power outages and leaking roofs.
The KAA has mentioned that the agreement will undergo technical, financial, and legal evaluations along with the necessary procedural steps.
Last year, the Adani Group faced significant financial losses when Hindenburg Research accused it of serious corporate fraud, claims that Gautam Adani, founder of the conglomerate and listed by Bloomberg as the world’s 12th wealthiest person, has denied, labeling the report as a targeted smear campaign benefiting short-sellers.
According to KAA data, JKIA handled 8.8 million passengers and 380,000 tonnes of cargo in the fiscal year 2022/23, contributing over 5% to Kenya’s GDP.
