But such claims at this moment risk sounding like face-saving rhetoric. We are in a busy travel season and cannot gamble on ideal conditions.
Over the last week, attempts by KAA management and the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union ended in bitter impasse. According to KAWU, of their seven “irreducible minimums”, only one saw movement. The more explosive tensions lie around the dismissal of a human resources manager and accusations of an unresponsive board. If no deal is reached by today, the union has vowed escalation.
When aviation services face hiccups, the consequences are immediate. Long queues, missed connections, upset passengers, lost tourism revenue and reputational damage quickly follow. Kenya’s advantage as a regional gateway cannot survive regular uncertainty at its airports.
In September 2024, a strike over the proposed leasing of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to India’s Adani Group paralysed air travel. Flights were cancelled, thousands of passengers were stranded, and exporters of flowers, fruits and vegetables lost an estimated Sh410 million a day.
Similar actions in previous years have seen the Air Force drafted in to man security checks, while perishable exports rotted in warehouses.
KCAA and KAA must stop posturing. They should call in an independent mediator, show flexibility on non-essentials and agree quickly to a settlement that restores trust. The union should temper threats and engage in good faith.
Quote of the Day: “One must be arrogant, indeed, to imagine that one can take everything in one's hand and know everything!” —French writer and critic Emile Zola died on September 29, 1902
