You won't lose your jobs over Adani-JKIA deal, CS Mutua assures aviation workers

Aviation workers have exhibited a lack of good understanding of issues affecting them, including the proposed leasing of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to an Indian investor, Labour CS Alfred Mutua has said.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) employees affiliated with the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) are mulling holding a strike over the lease of the airport for expansion to Adani Airport Holdings.

They are fearful that if the Adani deal is sealed, they may lose their jobs as the investor may opt to bring in foreign workers at their expense.

They, however, shelved the strike plans for seven days on Saturday to study the lease documents before deciding whether or not it would be wise to proceed with the strike.

"Our members are complaining of strangers believed to be Adani Group representatives who were seen stock-taking at JKIA. If it's true, that has to stop immediately; they are creating anxiety," Kawu Secretary General Moss Ndiema said while announcing the suspension of the strike.

On Wednesday, CS Mutua said he chose to play arbiter between the workers and the Ministry of Transport over the matter for purposes of averting a possible shutdown of services at the busy airport.

The CS said the meeting was attended by representatives and leaders of aviation workers, including select civil aviation employees who candidly shared their challenges, fears, and concerns.

“The workers had requested this meeting so that I could relay their issues to the Ministry of Roads and Transport,” Mutua said.

He said he listened keenly to their concerns.

Mutua said that from their engagement, it became clear that the aviation workers were acting on nothing more than hearsay regarding their welfare as far as the Adani deal goes.

“Throughout our discussions, it became clear that the employees lacked a complete understanding of key issues affecting their welfare, leading to the spread of various rumours,” Mutua said.

“I took the opportunity to brief them on government initiatives and their rights. We agreed that I would urge their employer to provide them with all available information regarding the planned Public-Private Partnership (PPP) involving Jomo Kenyatta International Airport."

On Monday, the aviation workers marched to the KAA offices to demand more documents “to allow us to read, comprehend, and make documented demands to the government on the Adani PPP proposal.”

CS Mutua said he listened keenly to the grievances and appreciated the need for better communication from their employer – KAA.

He said he encouraged them to seek out accurate information on the proposed lease of the airport to ensure their opinions were based on facts and not propaganda.

“We agreed that I would arrange for their union leaders to hold another session with the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport early next week,” Mutua said.

The CS said he requested the aviation workers to be patient and wait for the release of the necessary documents and further clarification from their employer before taking any further action.

“I assured them of my and the Ministry of Labour’s commitment to fairness and emphasized that their concerns—especially regarding how the proposed PPP will affect their rights and employment terms—will be addressed promptly,” he said.