Passengers stranded overnight by Kenya airport strike
Several flights were cancelled on Sunday, and an AFP journalist saw hundreds of travellers stuck at the airport, with local media reporting that many were forced to spend the night there.
Stranded passengers sit on the pavement as they wait with their luggage by the departure terminal of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after staff from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) airport workers' go-slow strike action continued into its second day, in Nairobi, on August 31, 2026. (Photos by AFP)
________________
NAIROBI — Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Kenya's main international airport overnight as the latest strike by workers entered a second day on Monday.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi is a major hub for the East African region and vital to the country's tourism trade, but has seen multiple strikes in recent years as workers push for better conditions.
Several flights were cancelled on Sunday, and an AFP journalist saw hundreds of travellers stuck at the airport, with local media reporting that many were forced to spend the night there.
Stranded passengers sit on the pavement as they wait with their luggage by the departure terminal of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after staff from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) airport workers' go-slow strike action continued into its second day, in Nairobi, on August 31, 2026.
"Nothing is happening; updates are reaching us late. It's ruining our itinerary," 22-year-old traveller William Obino told AFP.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) says it is striking over a longstanding failure of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to finalise a new collective bargaining agreement.
It also opposes the use of volunteers from the National Youth Service as airport staff.
KAA said it was "working closely with the relevant aviation agencies, airlines and other stakeholders to manage the situation, minimise disruption and facilitate the smooth flow of airport operations."