National football team Harambee Stars players were, for the better part of Wednesday, September 11, caught in a wave of uncertainty due to the ongoing strike at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi Kenya.
The players were left stranded at the Oliver Tambo airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, just hours after participating in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game against Namibia.
Scheduled to depart Johannesburg at 12pm South African time, the players were informed that their flight would be delayed by several hours, and the earliest they could catch a flight was at 5pm.
The schedule of their next flight was however not guaranteed, as it was all dependent on whether the situation at the JKIA would normalise.
Harambee Stars player Eric Marcelo Ouma taking on a Namibia player during an AFCON qualifier on Tuesday, September 10.
The plight of the Harambee Stars players came just hours after a commendable victory over Namibia just hours earlier, as Engin Firat’s men secured a 2-1 victory despite lacking several key first-team players.
The win, coupled with a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe days earlier put Kenya on top of Group J, which also has Cameroon. The stars are now in a strong position to qualify for the continental competition.
For the better part of Thursday, September 11, normal business was brought to a standstill as Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) commenced their strike to protest the planned JKIA takeover by an Indian company, Adani Group Holdings.
This left passengers at Kenya’s main airport stranded. This led to flight delays and cancellations which affected persons travelling to and from the country.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) made public their suspicious over the Adani deal, and are concerned a takeover by the Indian conglomerate will lead to mass layoffs.
Several private airlines issued disruption notices warning passengers of a delay in their flights due to the ongoing strike.
Terminal 1D, responsible for domestic departures, was however reopened at midday amid long queues at the airport.
Long queues witnessed at JKIA as KAA workers down tools.
Photo
Edwin Dande
