ADANI-JKIA DEAL: KAA Staff Halts Airport Activities With A Procession, Strike To Tuesday
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) employees have vowed to begin their planned strike on Tuesday.
The work boycott announced last week was set to begin on Monday after several attempts to obtain answers from relevant state institutions failed.
The Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU) has given the KAA management until the end of business Monday to resolve their grievances.
Amkeni tushaibiwa JKIA!!
— Nelson Amenya (@amenya_nelson) September 2, 2024
No public participation, no competitive bidding lakini they have already registered the SPVs (special purpose vehicles) #StopAdani pic.twitter.com/akwc8PtlZv
This is in reference to the government’s plan to lease out the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Indian firm Adani Holdings Limited.
The staff who had gathered at the KAA headquarters expressed their concerns before being addressed by the KAA’s acting managing director, Henry Ogoye.
“Tunafanya testing, testing…tuone kila kitu iko sawa before it is all systems go,” KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema said in his address to the workers after the meeting.
“If they do not heed to our demands we are back here tomorrow,” said Ndiema.
They then led a procession back to the workstations, carrying placards and chanting “Adani must go”.
Live scenes from JKIA.
— Omwamba 🇰🇪 (@omwambaKE) September 2, 2024
KAA Staff have Refused Adani Airport Takeover. Thsi should be Trending! pic.twitter.com/KlLpyIry6U
“I am proud of you because of the work you have done today. All those who have participated have done a good job. We are making an effort to stop the loss of JKIA,” he stated.
JKIA, he stated, generates its own revenue and can fund its own modernization and expansion plans.
He suggested that if a new investor came in, they build a new terminal at JKIA and manage it.
“We are not ready to surrender it to anyone. We are going to do this daily until Adani goes,” he added.
In his address, Ogoye instructed the workers to submit memoranda on their issues by Monday so that they could respond.
KAWU suspended the strike on Thursday, citing the government’s decision to give in to pressure and grant some of the contract documents for the JKIA lease to the Indian firm.
KAA Staff have accomplished our occupy JKIA mission. They are protesting the leasing of our airport for 30 years to corrupt Indians brought in by Papa Le President De La UfeeSaaDee. What a moment to be alive. pic.twitter.com/Fn7lTt8EsZ
— Morara Kebaso Snr (@MoraraKebasoSnr) September 2, 2024
KAWU has repeatedly expressed its opposition to Adani’s proposal to take over management of the facility.
Ndiema has maintained that the Union is determined to halt the project, calling for an end to all ongoing stakeholder engagement.
“We were given the Adani concession agreement, KAA feasibility study and some other documents. We have deliberated about the issue and it is our resolution that we will make a further delay on our strike action,” said Ndiema
This was the third time the union had postponed the planned strike.
On August 12, KAWU issued a formal seven-day strike notice to both KAA and KQ, stating their intention to suspend operations due to the planned JKIA deal.
The intended strike was in protest of the alleged planned sale of JKIA to India’s Adani Airport Holdings Limited.
KAWU said the alleged deal was carried out in a secretive and illegal manner and would eventually result in massive job losses for employees.
Workers also protested alleged acts of impropriety and gross misconduct in the provision of security services at the airport.
ADANI-JKIA DEAL: KAA Staff Halts Airport Activities With A Procession, Strike To Tuesday
