Major Disruption at JKIA as KAA Workers Issue 7-Day Strike Notice
JKIA may be thrown into chaos next week after KAA staff issued a 7-day strike notice over long-standing issues.
Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has accused KAA of ignoring critical labour concerns with tensions rising over the alleged transfer of Ground Flight Safety (GFS) operations from KAA to Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). Union leaders claim the move was done without consultation and will expose hundreds of workers to job losses and cut KAA’s revenue by a huge margin.
In a letter dated September 22, 2025, KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema described the transfer as a “serious issue”, noting that KCAA has already started recruiting its own GFS staff.
“Despite the seriousness of this matter, management has not consulted us nor given us any information,” Ndiema said, warning that this confirms workers’ worst fears of redundancy.
Beyond the GFS issue, the union is also pushing for confirmation of over 500 workers who are on contract despite years of service. It also cites non-implementation of promotions, non-payment of overtime allowances at Wilson Airport for over 6 months and dismantling of the human resources department – an issue KAWU says has crippled efforts to resolve labour complaints.
Workers also say 3 unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are a growing source of frustration.
On Tuesday morning, agitated staff stormed KAA’s Nairobi headquarters demanding answers. But efforts to meet with management failed.
KAA board chairman Caleb Kositany responded to the unrest saying the departure of the authority’s human resources manager had delayed some processes but the position will be advertised and filled competitively soon. He also said the outgoing manager is eligible to reapply despite having served 2 terms.
Kositany also denied claims that GFS staff had been transferred to KCAA saying discussions between the two agencies are still ongoing as per ICAO standards.
“We have teams from both KAA and KCAA consulting on this matter,” he said, downplaying reports of completed transfers.
But the union has now instructed members to prepare for a national strike if management fails to address their demands within the next week. A strike will paralyse ground operations at JKIA from aircraft parking and cargo handling to baggage services and emergency response.JKIA will grind to a halt.
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Major Disruption at JKIA as KAA Workers Issue 7-Day Strike Notice