Nairobi, Kenya: A fresh Kenya aviation workers’ strike disrupted flight operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Sunday, August 30, 2026 leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and several flights delayed, rescheduled or cancelled. The disruption began late Saturday night and intensified on Sunday morning as aviation workers resumed industrial action after a government-brokered agreement reached in July failed to resolve their grievances.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) said its members at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Jambojet had downed their tools. KAWU Secretary-General Moss Ndiema said the workers would remain on strike until the outstanding disputes with the three employers were addressed. Kenya Airways was included in the union’s earlier July strike notice but was not among the three employers named by KAWU in the latest action.
“We did sign a back-to-work formula but, unfortunately, KAA and KCAA failed to meet our demands. They have never committed to the negotiations and have failed to cooperate and show effort in resolving our grievances. We therefore lifted the suspension on the strike,” Ndiema said.
The latest action follows a July 27, 2026 framework agreement brokered by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, which had suspended an earlier strike notice covering KCAA, KAA, Kenya Airways and Jambojet. The agreement provided a 30-day framework for the parties to negotiate their respective disputes, but KAWU said the commitments were not adequately implemented.
At KCAA, the union is challenging the position that backdated salary awards dating to 2015 would not be considered. KAWU says employees have gone without a salary increment since 2015 and is demanding resolution of the outstanding pay issue. At KAA, the union has accused Managing Director Moses Wekesa of frustrating union activities and questioned the deployment of National Youth Service personnel at JKIA. At Jambojet, the dispute centres on union recognition and the treatment of workers who have joined or taken up union responsibilities.
The disruption was most visible at JKIA, Kenya’s main international gateway, where passengers reported spending hours waiting for flights and receiving revised departure times with little certainty over when their journeys would resume. Some passengers said they had received no warning before arriving at the airport.
The Kenya Airports Authority confirmed delays at airports but did not give a total number of affected flights. “KAA is 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,” the authority said.
KAA advised passengers to contact their respective airlines for individual flight updates and apologised for the disruption. “Passengers are advised to contact their respective Airlines for the latest information on their flight status and to plan their journeys accordingly,” the authority said.
Kenya Airways separately attributed delays into and out of JKIA to operational constraints within Air Traffic Control services. At 2 p.m. East Africa Time, the airline said only 30% of its scheduled flights for the day had departed, with those flights averaging two to three hours of delay, while some subsequent departures were delayed by more than three hours.
“We are currently experiencing delays of 2-3 hours for departures out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) due to ongoing air traffic control challenges,” Kenya Airways said in an earlier customer update. By 5 p.m., the carrier said its scheduled flights had departed, but with an average delay of two to three hours.
The disruption also spread beyond passengers waiting at JKIA. Reports indicated that travellers at other Kenyan airports faced prolonged delays, while the knock-on effect reached regional connections. Kenya Airways flight KQ471 from Kigali, Rwanda, to Nairobi, scheduled to depart at 9 a.m., ultimately departed at 10:45 a.m. and arrived at JKIA at about 11:30 a.m. RwandAir, meanwhile, cancelled flights WB402 and WB403 between Kigali and Nairobi on August 30, 2026 because of the ongoing air traffic control challenges at JKIA.
A Jambojet flight from Malindi also faced a delay of almost five hours, with the captain reportedly telling passengers that the delay was beyond the airline’s control because of the KCAA and KAA workers’ go-slow.
A crisis meeting involving KAWU officials, the Ministry of Transport and aviation agencies was convened as efforts began to resolve the dispute. In the meantime, airlines continued updating passengers and advised travellers to check flight status before heading to the airport.
The renewed strike marks another escalation in a labour dispute that has repeatedly threatened Kenya’s aviation network in 2026. KAWU had first issued a seven-day strike notice on July 17, 2026 covering KCAA, KAA, Kenya Airways and Jambojet, citing unresolved collective bargaining agreements, remuneration, employment conditions, job security and other workplace grievances. The planned action was suspended on July 27, 2026 after government intervention, but the temporary settlement failed to prevent the latest walkout.
