Airport strike over the underhand JKIA deal with Adani is on as RUTO’s State House intervention hits a brick wall

Friday, August 30, 2024 – Expect major disruptions in airports after President William Ruto failed to stop the looming strike.

Ruto faced a major setback as attempts to dissuade airport workers from striking over the controversial Ksh246 billion Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)-Adani deal fell flat.

A tense five-hour meeting at State House saw the President and top government officials grappling with the resolute stance of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU).

Sources close to the union revealed that the workers demanded full transparency on the JKIA-Adani deal, including the Adani Public Initiation Proposal (PIP) assessment report and minutes from negotiations between the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Adani Holdings Limited.

Without these details, the workers are set to down their tools on Sunday, September 1, potentially plunging the aviation sector into chaos.

While no one argues the upgrading of the airport opened in 1958 is unnecessary, some of the terms of the deal have left workers and Kenyans alike in uproar.

The Adani Group plans to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which generates Ksh49.063 billion in annual revenue.

The proposal includes constructing and refurbishing terminal buildings, improving taxiways, and potentially building a new runway.

These projects would be funded through airport revenue, increased fees, and private investments, with Adani receiving an 18 per cent equity stake after 30 years.

The Kenyan DAILY POST