Kenya Airport Workers Tell Public to Brace for a Tumultuous Week

By Richard Kamau2/16/2026Entertainment

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has assured airline operators and travelers that airport operations across the country will continue normally after a court suspended a planned strike.

Emile Arao, the KCAA Director General, said the Employment and Labour Relations Court put the industrial action on hold on Friday following an application by the agency. The court instructed that until the matter is fully heard and determined, no strike action should proceed if it interferes with KCAA’s statutory responsibilities.

“KCAA understands that this situation may raise concerns among passengers, airline partners, employees, and the wider public. We wish to reassure all stakeholders that aviation operations remain normal, safe, and uninterrupted,” Arao said in a statement.

Arao added that the Authority continues to carry out its mandate diligently, ensuring the safety, security, and efficiency of civil aviation in Kenya while remaining committed to dialogue.

KCAA values respectful discussion and is dedicated to engaging constructively and in good faith through established legal and consultative channels.

“KCAA firmly believes that sustainable solutions are best achieved through structured engagement within the constitutional and statutory framework governing labor relations,” he said.

Union Threatens Action Despite Court Order

Despite the court’s suspension, Moss Ndiema, secretary general of the Kenya Airport Workers Union, said on Saturday, February 14, that the union plans to mobilize employees at the region’s largest aviation hub for industrial action.

“Industrial action is at 99 percent as we speak, and we are not asking for impossible things; we are not asking for wealth or richness. For an employee whose pay has not been reviewed for the past 12 or 15 years, how do you expect them to live?” Ndiema stated.

The announcement comes after negotiations with KCAA failed to yield results within a seven-day deadline ending Monday. The union’s demands include implementing Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), reviewing salaries, and placing contractual employees on pensionable terms.

Ndiema warned that if management does not recognize grades four and five employees as eligible for union representation and finalize a CBA within one week after Monday, the union will issue a strike timetable.

“We are determined to deliver a CBA in one week if management accepts that those grades are unionizable. But if they continue to place barriers in our way, we are prepared to act,” he said.

Dispute Covers Multiple Aviation Entities

The dispute involves workers across multiple aviation entities, including the Kenya Airports Authority (KCAA) and the national carrier, Kenya Airways. Union officials say employers have failed to comply with court directives on contract conversions and union recognition.

A central issue is a court order requiring employers to transition long-serving contractual staff to permanent, pensionable positions by December 31, 2025. Ndiema criticized management for appealing or delaying the process despite prior agreements reached in court and at the Ministry of Labour.

“These are court orders. They must be obeyed. You cannot agree in court and later disown the agreement,” he said.

Ndiema warned, “So to anybody and everybody who cares, we are going to have a tumultuous week. I just want to ask you to prepare; it could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be the day after, it could have been yesterday, maybe, just prepare.”

The unfolding situation raises concerns for travelers and the aviation sector, with stakeholders closely watching whether management and union leaders can resolve their differences before any disruption occurs.

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The post Kenya Airport Workers Tell Public to Brace for a Tumultuous Week appeared first on Nairobi Wire.

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