The ongoing strike by airport workers has brought business to a standstill in major airports in the country.
For the better part of Wednesday, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was characterized by long queues and passengers stranded as flights faced incessant delays while some were canceled altogether.
The strike which started at the JKIA inspired aviation sector workers operating at Moi International Airport, Kisumu International Airport, and Eldoret International Airport to join in demanding accountability on the nature of the JKIA upgrade deal signed between the government and Indian conglomerate Adani.
As the airport workers continued to stage their strike, Kenyans and passengers streamed into the country who bore the brunt.
Long queues witnessed at JKIA as KAA workers down tools.
Photo
Edwin Dande
Persons inconvenienced by the strike spent the better part of the day expressing their disappointment and frustrations.
One highlight from the day was the plight of a white man who vented his frustrations expressing fears that his marriage was at risk. The man claimed that due to the delay in flights, his wife might probably divorce him by the time he gets home.
“Now we are here to suffer, my flight is delayed, I will miss my wife and she will probably divorce me when I reach Kisumu as a result of their actions”, the man lamented.
” I am disappointed, we have been here for over three hours and have not gotten any communication, we have important things to do,” another customer complained.
“It’s been chaotic… there were hundreds of people outside the airport when we arrived but we stood around and eventually made it inside,” a female passenger who cut short her holiday trip to Kenya to go back to the Netherlands for a funeral told journalists.
Among those stranded was also Zimbabwe men’s football team. The team had flown into Nairobi after an African Cup of Nations qualifier game in Uganda.
Defending their move, the airport workers have revealed that the protests are necessary as they are pushing to be heard.
“We are pushing to keep our jobs, we are pushing to avoid being colonized again”, KAA workers at the Moi International Airport said.
“We have never seen those Adani documents they are talking about, it would have been better if Adani himself came here and explained what is happening to us.” Another worker said.
The Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union previously warned of an indefinite strike after the government failed to disclose details of the Adani deal.
Current Transport CS David Chirchir(left) with Kipchumba Murkomen, July 2024.
Photo
Murkomen
