The aviation sector is breathing a sigh of relief after airport workers postponed a strike planned for September 1, offering a temporary reprieve from what could have been a major disruption to air travel.
However, the workers will hold a procession to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) headquarters on Monday, September 2. Their aim is to prevent government officials from travelling to India for a scheduled due diligence visit and to demand the immediate deportation of Adani Group officials currently in the country.
The decision to postpone the strike came after a tense standoff between the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) and the government over the controversial Ksh246 billion Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) takeover deal by the Indian conglomerate, Adani Group.
The move followed a crucial intervention by President William Ruto, who met with union leaders and top government officials on Monday, August 26 to address the workers' demands.
Dig deeper: According to the office of Moss Ndiema, the Secretary General of the biggest union of aviation workers, the move to postpone the strike by one week is to allow for the workers to interrogate the documents related to the deal. The workers made it clear to the government that they would proceed to strike if the government did not honour a pledge to hand the workers all documents associated with the Adani deal for their review.
During the five-hour meeting at State House, the President promised to consider the workers’ concerns, particularly their demand for full transparency regarding the JKIA-Adani deal, which has sparked widespread debate and opposition.
Workers had raised alarm over the lack of clarity surrounding the Adani Public Initiation Proposal (PIP) assessment report and minutes from negotiations between the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Adani Holdings Limited.
Their grievances centred on the fear that the takeover could lead to mass layoffs, foreign dominance of the aviation sector, and a significant financial burden on Kenyan taxpayers.
The situation had escalated to the brink of industrial action, with workers threatening to down tools on September 1. Such a move could have paralysed operations at Kenya’s busiest airport, plunging the aviation sector into chaos and causing massive inconvenience for travellers.
Fresh details: Despite this, reports surfaced that the takeover is set to take effect on November 1, with details emerging that KAA and Adani have been quietly planning the transition for the past six months.
The takeover is poised to reshape the future of JKIA, with Adani expected to manage the airport for the next 30 years under a concession framework that has raised eyebrows across the board.
During a public participation meeting on Friday, KAA’s Acting Managing Director, Henry Ogoye, attempted to reassure stakeholders by explaining that KAA would assist Adani in managing the airport during the initial two years.
After this period, Adani would fully assume control, with KAA being the intermediary responsible for addressing any parliamentary inquiries.
Ogoye's statements, however, did little to quell the mounting concerns. He candidly admitted that Adani opposed a competitive bidding process for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), arguing that it would cause delays. Instead, Adani has been pushing for immediate government support and financial guarantees, a move that critics argue undermines the principles of fairness and transparency.
The proposal's implications are profound, with Adani seeking to lock in exclusive rights to operate JKIA, effectively blocking the development or upgrading of Kenya’s other 38 airports, including key hubs like Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret, without their consent.
This stranglehold could stifle competition and hamper Kenya’s broader Vision 2030 goals, which aim to position the country as a regional aviation leader.
Under the deal, Adani would manage key aspects of JKIA’s operations, including fee collection and land access, while the Kenyan government would be left to shoulder any financial losses or legal disputes that may arise. The concession also includes a plan to double airport charges to match regional competitors, a move aimed at increasing revenue but likely to impact consumers directly.
Despite these concerns, KAA is pressing ahead with plans to upgrade JKIA’s infrastructure, with Adani expected to inject Ksh246 billion in three phases over the coming years. The first phase, which includes the construction of a new terminal, is scheduled for completion by 2029, aligning with Kenya’s Vision 2030 timeline.
