Thousands of passengers remained stranded at Kenya’s major airports on Monday as an aviation workers’ go-slow entered its second day, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and other airports.
The industrial action, involving workers linked to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), began late Saturday and intensified on Sunday, severely disrupting flight operations.
Passengers reported waiting for several hours for flights to depart, while some travellers said they had been forced to spend the night at the airport after cancellations and delays. Airlines operating through JKIA also reported disruptions.
Kenya Airways said it was experiencing departure delays of between two and three hours from JKIA, attributing the disruption to air traffic control challenges.
KAA acknowledged the disruption in a passenger advisory, saying: “Some departing flights are currently experiencing delays at our airports.”
The authority said it was working with airlines and aviation agencies to manage the situation and advised passengers to confirm their flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport.
RwandAir also announced the cancellation of flights WB402/WB403 on August 30 because of ongoing air traffic control challenges at JKIA, saying affected passengers would be rebooked on the next available flights.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has linked the industrial action to unresolved labour grievances, including the failure to conclude a collective bargaining agreement with KCAA and disputes concerning the implementation of agreements reached following earlier industrial action.
KAWU Secretary-General Moss Ndiema said union and government representatives met on Sunday but failed to reach a settlement. Further talks were scheduled for Monday.
The current disruption follows earlier labour disputes at Kenya’s airports. A two-day strike in February caused significant disruption at JKIA before the parties reached a return-to-work agreement.
The union subsequently raised further concerns over the deployment of National Youth Service personnel at airports, the presence of Kenya Defence Forces and NYS personnel at the JKIA fire station, and the dismissal of four employees.
KAWU issued another seven-day strike notice in July, but the union and the four affected employers signed a framework agreement on July 27 that suspended the planned strike and provided for further negotiations.
Despite that agreement, the latest go-slow has again brought pressure on Kenya’s aviation sector.
The disruption has also been compounded by severe weather conditions, with heavy rain and poor visibility affecting some flight operations and forcing diversions.
Passengers report difficult conditions
Travellers have taken to social media to describe long waits, missed connections and uncertainty over when they will be able to leave the airports.
Some passengers have also alleged that travellers were treated differently when arrangements were made to accommodate those stranded overnight.
Claims circulating online allege that some white foreign travellers were taken to hotels while Kenyan passengers were left at the airport for extended periods with limited assistance.
The allegations have not been independently established, and KAA had not publicly responded to the claims of racial discrimination as of Monday afternoon.
The disruption comes at a particularly busy period for Kenya’s aviation and tourism sectors. JKIA serves as the country’s principal international gateway and connects Kenya with destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data shows that Kenya handled 12.83 million commercial air passengers in 2024, including 7.28 million international passengers.
JKIA alone handled approximately 8.6 million passengers in 2025, exceeding its stated design capacity of 7.5 million passengers.
With negotiations between the government and aviation workers continuing, passengers face continued uncertainty over the restoration of normal flight operations.
Neither KAA nor KAWU had provided a definitive timeline for the full resumption of normal operations by Monday afternoon.
Mustaqbal
