Good morning and welcome to our LIVE coverage of anti-Adani deal protests at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Wednesday, September 11 marks day one of Kenya Aviation Authority (KAA) workers strike. The workers had given the government and JKIA an ultimatum to make public a deal it entered with Adani Group Holdings to manage the international airport.
All employees of KAA downed tools as a result of failed talks with the government. At the top of the concerns was that the deal, involving JKIA and Indian conglomerate Adani Group, would lead to mass layoffs of employees.
Since the strike officially kicked off at midnight, no plane has taken off at JKIA. Representatives from the conglomerate were already at the airport carrying out assessment in the past days, though the fine print of the deal remains secretive.
Follow our live coverage of the strike below:
5:00 PM: Another MP Defends Adani Deal
National Assembly Chief Whip, Sylvanus Osoro dismisses today's protests as noise. Taking to his X handle, the MP stated that the government will address genuine concerns raised by the aviation industry workers before dismissing the rest of the issues as noise.
'Their demand for a clear clause on their plight should be addressed. The rest is noise. PPP is legal,"
"You want and deserve a modern airport, but you don't want to pay higher taxes, and the government is aiming to avoid additional borrowing. Public-private partnerships (PPP) are legal and can provide a solution. Help us find another investor to upgrade the airport. Let's move from just voicing concerns to actively proposing solutions," he posted.
4:20 PM: Disrupted Travel Arrangements.
Kenya Men's Football team, Harambee Stars is currently stranded in South Africa. The national soccer team players are at the Oliver Tambo Airport in Johannesburg South Africa hours after participating in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game against Namibia. They are unable to travel back to Kenya due to the ongoing strike at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The squad was scheduled to depart Johannesburg at noon on a KQ flight to Nairobi. The plane was set to arrive at 5:15 pm but its current status reads Cancelled.
3:20 PM: Afternoon Protests Resume.
Airport workers in major Kenyan airports persist with the strike in the afternoon hours of today. Kenyans traveling abroad have elicited mixed feelings at the airport. In a video seen by Kenyans.co.ke some travelers have taken time to speak to the striking workers, urging them not to relent against the Adani deal, even though they were inconvenienced.
Activists online ramped up their activities with the #StopAdani trending at number 6 globally.
2:20PM: KCAA Issues Statement.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has released a statement assuring travelers that Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations are fully operational and are running. The authority said that both takeoffs and landings are being handled with efforts to address the backlogs. In the statement, they acknowledged the challenges experienced today in Kenyan airports urging for calm, patience, and cooperation.
1:20PM: Mombasa Senator Stranded at JKIA.
Mombasa Senator Faki Mohamed was one of the stranded passengers at JKIA. He was headed to Mumbai.
The Senator, as a result, blasted the Ministry of Transport over their silence, effectively failing to address passenger concerns on when they can expect resumption of flights. He also noted tha cafeterias at JKIA were instructed to close their restaurants in solidarity with striking union workers.
He, however, supported the movement calling for the abolishment of the Adani deal.
12:40PM : Terminal 1D at JKIA Re-opens.
Terminal 1D, responsible for domestic departures and arrivals at JKIA, has reopened. Operations at the terminal had been paralysed after all JKIA workers downed their tools.
The strike resulted in long passenger queues compelling Airlines to inform their passengers of delays with some airlines urging their passengers to come to the airport. As a result, the Kenya Association of TraveL Agents (KATA) has called upon Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) and the government to swiftly find a resolution to the standoff.
12:20PM - Passaris Defends Adani Deal.
Nairobi Women Rep, Esther Passaris has this morning defended the controversial Adani airport deal. Speaking today at JKIA, Passaris hailed the Indian conglomerate as a potential game changer for airports in Kenya.
"Kenyans need to understand what the Adani group will provide. I have been to Ahmedabad Airport that was done by Adani. The first time I went to Ahmedabad airport, Four years ago, it was a mediocre airport, today it's one of the five-star airports."
At the same time, passengers in Eldoret are calling for help after operations at the Eldoret Airport stalled when airport workers in Eldoret joined the nationwide anti-Adani deal strike.
11:30AM - Kenyans Join #AdaniMustGo
Protests against the Adani Airport Deal intensify as airport workers across the country unite to protests against the privatisation of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Videos from the logistical hubs show workers repeatedly chanting the slogan Adani Must Go.
Kenyans online joined in digital activism with the #AdaniMustGo trending on major social media platforms.
11:00AM - Kisumu Airport Worker Join anti-Adani Deal Strike
Airport workers at Kisumu International Airport have joined the strike, which has paralyzed operations at Kenya's third major airport. This action follows similar disruptions at Moi International Airport in Mombasa, where workers also participated in the anti-Adani protests. The coordinated strike has significantly impacted air travel across the country.
10:45AM - Air Travel Operations in Mombasa Paralyzed As Airport Workers Join Strike.
Travel operations at Moi International Airport in Mombasa County have been brought to a grinding halt as airport workers in the coastal region joined their colleagues from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. They are protesting the Adani airport deal that gives the Indian Conglomerate, through its Kenyan proxy, broad powers over airport services, including the recruitment and dismissal of airport staff.
10:15AM - Francis Atwoli Arrives on Scene
COTU boss Francis Atwoli arrives at the airport to address striking workers. Some protesters at the airport have been detained following the morning chaos. The COTU SG, therefore, demanded the immediate release of detained airport workers without further delay.
Atwoli blasted some Cabinet Secretaries as ineffective, saying they do not even pick up calls. He said he was headed into talks to represent the workers in a meeting with the government terming them the main stakeholders of the deal.
"I tried calling Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen when this started to educate him to meet the workers and educate them over the Adani deal. Our Ministers are arrogant and don't take telephones and disregard worker's calls. This is what has brought about all these. We are urging our members to remain firm until we get back to them on this matter. They have our support."
Long queues persist as travelers lament a lack of communication regarding their flights. They noted that nobody is receiving preferential treatment and everyone is being treated the same.
10:00 AM - NYS Deployed to JKIA
Cadets from the National Youth Service have been mobilised to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to support police in managing operations at the aviation hub.
Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, however, demanded that the current Transport CS steps forward and addreses the media directly over the Adani deal, rather than awaiting formal summons from the Senate or National Assembly.
9:20 AM - Police Officers Turn Up to Morning Protests
Anti-Adani Deal civic action at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has turned chaotic this morning. Police who had been deployed to the airport to contain the strike were filmed clobbering the airport workers who had downed their tools.
A few officers tried to calm down the situation but the chaos had already rallied up the protesters who were unrelentingly shouting at the officers in the face of opposition.
The police are said to have taken over screening duties at the airport after workers at all stations of the airport downed their tools.
