Kenya Airports Authority, Union resolve labour dispute and call off strike
By Nancy Marende, October 2, 2025The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has announced the successful resolution of a labour dispute with the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), averting a planned strike that was set to begin this week.
The union had issued a seven-day strike notice on September 23, 2025, raising concerns over potential disruptions to airport operations nationwide.
However, the notice was withdrawn following a series of constructive consultations and productive discussions between KAA, KAWU, and relevant Government Ministries.
In a statement on Thursday, October 1, 2025, KAA expressed gratitude to its Board of Directors, led by Chairman Caleb Kositany, as well as the Ministry of Roads and Transport and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection for their key roles in facilitating the talks.
The Authority also commended KAWU for engaging constructively throughout the negotiations.
“Passengers, airlines, and partners can be assured of our commitment to excellent customer experience across all KAA-managed airports. We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of safety, security, and service excellence,” KAA said.
The suspension
This comes a day after KAWU announced that the strike has been suspended for two days to allow conciliation talks with management, as directed by the court.
KAA had earlier moved to court seeking orders to stop the strike action and directed both parties to appear before the Ministry of Labour for conciliation at 11 am on Monday, September 29, 2025.
KAWU stated that both union officials and KAA management attended the session, which lasted until 7:45 p.m. before being adjourned.
“The strike has been suspended for only two days to allow conciliation to take place,” KAWU said in a statement on September 29, 2025.
The dispute stems from grievances over the alleged transfer of Ground Flight Safety (GFS) operations from KAA to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), delayed confirmations of staff to permanent terms, unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements, and other labour-related concerns.
This came after a crisis meeting between Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) management and the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU) ended Thursday without agreement, raising the prospect of a disruptive strike.
KAWU Secretary Moss Ndiema told the press at the JKIA after the meeting that the delegation met KAA in an effort to resolve the grievances that led the union to issue a seven-day strike notice.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to resolve any issue, not even one,” Ndiema said.
He said out of the seven listed demands, which the union describes as its “irreducible minimums”, only one item saw any movement.