Flights grounded over Kenyan strike at main airport

A strike by workers at Kenya's main international airport in Nairobi has caused flight delays and cancellations for both departing and arriving passengers, Kenya Airways said on Wednesday.

The biggest union of Kenya's aviation workers said they would take industrial action on Wednesday over a proposed deal for India's Adani Group to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for 30 years in exchange.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union, which represents airport workers, said the proposed agreement announced in July would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers.

Kenya's government has said the airport is operating above capacity and needs modernising but that it is not for sale and that no decision has been made on whether to proceed with what it calls a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the site.

Passengers queuing

Videos shared on the social media platform X showed hundreds of passengers queuing outside JKIA's single terminal after the strike began at midnight on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, dozens of airport workers blew p lastic trumpets and chanted "Adani must go", according to footage on local broadcaster Citizen TV, which also showed a police officer hitting a protester with a baton.

Kenya's high court on Monday temporarily blocked the Adani proposal, in which the Indian company would build a new runway and upgrade the passenger terminal, to allow time for a judicial review challenging the lease.

Kenya's high court temporarily blocked the Adani proposal on Tuesday to allow time for a judicial review challenging the lease.

➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.