Travellers Stranded As JKIA Workers On Go Slow Over Adani Deal [VIDEO]

This comes a day after the High Court issued an order blocking the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) from moving ahead with its decision to lease the airport to Adani for 30 years.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Sep 10, 2024 - 22:26 Updated: Sep 10, 2024 - 23:08
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Travellers Stranded As JKIA Workers On Go Slow Over Adani Deal [VIDEO]
Scores of travellers outside JKIA terminals on September 10, 2024. /X

Airport workers are reported to have embarked on a go-slow at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi over the proposed deal to lease the airport to Indian conglomerate, Adani Group.

Photos and videos seen by Viral Tea showed huge queues at the terminals of the country's busiest airport with passengers kept waiting in queues, a situation posing grave consequences given that many international flights are projected to depart between 10 pm and midnight.

Viral Tea understands that the situation could worsen with a series of flights likely to experience delays.

Here is the video:

This comes a day after the High Court issued an order blocking the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) from moving ahead with its decision to lease the airport to Adani for 30 years.

This came pending a judicial review filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).

The order meant that Kenyan aviation fans who were opposed to the leasing deal breathed a sigh of relief after raising numerous issues regarding the planned Adani takeover which would have seen the Indian firm enjoy the lease of the country's biggest airport for 30 years.

Furthermore, in response to the opaque nature of the contract, KHRC and LSK sought details from JKIA in July and August 2024.

The immediate stay order prevents any action on the Adani lease proposal until the judicial review is concluded, meaning even the government cannot conduct its thorough due diligence investigation into the Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) submitted by Adani Airports Holdings Limited on the proposal and expansion of JKIA.

The case registered as HCJR/E199/2024, has been certified as urgent, with the court admitting the application for hearing even during recess. 

The LSK and KHRC argue in their submissions that the decision to lease Kenya's busiest airport to a foreign private entity was made without adequate consultation or transparency, a claim that KAA and other respondents must address in their responses, which are due within the next few days.

The substantive hearing will decide whether the lease agreement, which has raised concerns about national sovereignty and job security, can be continued or terminated entirely. The case is scheduled for further mention on October 8, 2024. 

The order now tosses the deal into unwanted territory and given Adani's recent international controversies, the Indian firm is going to need a miracle to overcome this one in its bid to modernize JKIA.

Adani has committed to a Ksh238 billion investment to upgrade and expand the airport. However, critics, including KHRC argue that Kenya could raise the necessary funds independently without giving up control of this critical national asset.

Prior to the ruling, a notice was issued by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) on August 12, 2024, in which they opposed the proposed leasing of JKIA to Adani.

KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema, in the strike notice, cited fears that the JKIA-Adani deal would lead to mass layoffs, the introduction of foreign workers, as well as inferior working conditions.

A building housing Adani Group. /ADANI ENTERPRISES

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