NAIROBI, Kenya – Aviation workers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) have issued a stern ultimatum to the government and Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) officials, demanding immediate resignations to avert a potential strike next week.
The call for action has intensified tensions within the aviation sector as workers express their dissatisfaction over unresolved grievances.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), representing the airport employees, announced that they would not engage in any further negotiations with the government until key figures in the KAA and Kenya Airways (KQ) leadership step down.
Among the union’s demands is the resignation of KAA’s Acting Director General Henry Ogoye, General Manager of Human Resource Development Anthony Njagi, General Manager of Engineering Meshack Ochieng Otwaro, and Kenya Airways’ Head of Security Benard Oganga, along with Security Operations Manager James Kiprono Ng’eno.
The union accuses these officials of gross misconduct and failure to address critical issues affecting the workforce.
Central to the workers’ discontent is the KAA’s failure to review employees’ salaries for the past eight years, a significant point of contention.
Additionally, the union strongly opposes the proposed lease of JKIA to Adani Airport Holdings Limited, a deal they believe undermines the airport’s integrity and threatens their jobs.
Moss Ndiema, KAWU Secretary General, emphasized that the union had previously given an informal notice to the government and KAA to withdraw from the Adani deal and make changes in the top management of KAA and KQ.
He stated that the union would only return to the negotiation table once the government fully retracts from the Adani contract and the implicated officials resign.
“We are not willing to engage the government until these conditions are met. If the government fails to respond within the next seven days, we will mobilize all aviation workers for a strike,” Ndiema warned.
The union’s demands extend to the resignation of the entire KAA Board of Directors and the stepping down of two KQ managers named in recent letters.
The aviation workers’ union accuses these officials of participating in unlawful activities and impunity, further fueling their call for immediate action.
The call for action has intensified tensions within the aviation sector as workers express their dissatisfaction over unresolved grievances.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), representing the airport employees, announced that they would not engage in any further negotiations with the government until key figures in the KAA and Kenya Airways (KQ) leadership step down.
Among the union’s demands is the resignation of KAA’s Acting Director General Henry Ogoye, General Manager of Human Resource Development Anthony Njagi, General Manager of Engineering Meshack Ochieng Otwaro, and Kenya Airways’ Head of Security Benard Oganga, along with Security Operations Manager James Kiprono Ng’eno.
The union accuses these officials of gross misconduct and failure to address critical issues affecting the workforce.
Central to the workers’ discontent is the KAA’s failure to review employees’ salaries for the past eight years, a significant point of contention.
Additionally, the union strongly opposes the proposed lease of JKIA to Adani Airport Holdings Limited, a deal they believe undermines the airport’s integrity and threatens their jobs.
Moss Ndiema, KAWU Secretary General, emphasized that the union had previously given an informal notice to the government and KAA to withdraw from the Adani deal and make changes in the top management of KAA and KQ.
He stated that the union would only return to the negotiation table once the government fully retracts from the Adani contract and the implicated officials resign.
“We are not willing to engage the government until these conditions are met. If the government fails to respond within the next seven days, we will mobilize all aviation workers for a strike,” Ndiema warned.
The union’s demands extend to the resignation of the entire KAA Board of Directors and the stepping down of two KQ managers named in recent letters.
The aviation workers’ union accuses these officials of participating in unlawful activities and impunity, further fueling their call for immediate action.
