NAIROBI, Kenya — Thousands of passengers have been left stranded or delayed at Kenyan airports as aviation workers continue a go-slow that has disrupted flights for a second day.
The industrial action began on Sunday, August 30, with the biggest disruption reported at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya’s main international gateway. Other airports, including Kisumu, have also been affected.
Passengers have reported long waits, delayed and cancelled flights and difficulties getting clear information about when they will travel.
The strike is being led by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), which represents aviation workers. The union says it resumed the action after the government and aviation authorities failed to address issues contained in an earlier agreement.
KAWU Secretary-General Moss Ndiema said the union had signed a return-to-work agreement but accused the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) of failing to honour their commitments.
“We did sign a back-to-work formula but, unfortunately, KAA and KCAA failed to meet our demands,” Ndiema told Daily Nation.
The union’s grievances include working conditions, a stalled collective bargaining agreement with KCAA and what it describes as inadequate support from the authorities.
The union has also opposed a proposal to use youth volunteers to support airport operations, according to reports.
Passengers spend hours at airport
The disruption has left travellers uncertain about whether their flights will operate.
Reuters reported that some passengers had been at JKIA for more than 12 hours, while airlines struggled to clear the backlog.
One passenger, Rabbi Mendel Goldman, said his flight was repeatedly delayed before eventually being cancelled.
“The earliest flight they can get us is only tomorrow night, so we’ve got to wait,” he said, after spending about 12 hours at the airport.
Daily Nation reported similar experiences, with passengers saying they had received little warning about the strike.
One traveller, Glen Omindu, said he was due to fly to Dubai but had not been told when he would eventually leave.
“There was no warning and that’s the problem,” he said.
Another passenger, Faith Mbugua, said travellers were struggling to establish who was responsible for the disruption.
“We are very frustrated. We were here at 10am and were told that there is a strike,” she said.
Regional flights affected
The disruption has also affected passengers travelling between Kenya and other East African countries.
RwandAir cancelled two flights on Sunday, citing air traffic control problems in Nairobi. Kenya Airways has also reported significant delays, with flights departing about two hours late on average.
At Kisumu International Airport, passengers travelling to Nairobi and Entebbe were stranded on Monday after flights were cancelled or disrupted.
One passenger, Siaya County Acting Secretary Elizabeth Adongo, said she arrived at the airport at 7am for a flight to Nairobi but waited until the afternoon before receiving a cancellation message from Safarilink.
She eventually had to consider travelling by road after missing a scheduled county meeting in Nairobi.
The disruption is therefore no longer confined to Nairobi. It is affecting Kenya’s wider aviation network, with passengers being forced to consider buses, private vehicles and other forms of transport.
Talks fail to end strike
KAWU officials and government representatives held discussions on Sunday in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but the talks did not produce an immediate agreement.
Ndiema said the discussions would continue on Monday. “We have agreed to proceed with the engagements tomorrow, as from 11 o’clock in the morning. In the meantime, the strike action is still on,” he said.
As of Monday, however, the industrial action remained in place.
The Kenya Airports Authority acknowledged the disruption, saying airports across the country were experiencing flight delays.
KAA said it was working with aviation agencies, airlines and other stakeholders to reduce the impact of the strike and keep airport operations moving. It advised passengers to contact their airlines for updates before travelling to the airport.
Ugandan travellers caught in disruption
The strike has also affected Ugandans travelling through Nairobi, which is a major regional aviation hub.
One Ugandan traveller described the situation at the airport as “a total mess” and said the group had decided to travel by road after disruptions to air traffic control.
“Kenyan air control on strike! It’s a total mess at their airport. We’ve decided to do car pooling and travel by road tonight,” the passenger said.
For Ugandan travellers who regularly connect through Nairobi, the disruption is a reminder of how dependent regional travel remains on a small number of major aviation hubs.
A dispute between workers and authorities in one country can quickly become a problem for passengers several borders away.
Strike follows earlier dispute
The current action is the latest in a series of labour disputes involving Kenya’s aviation workers.
A similar dispute in February 2026 also resulted in flight delays and disruption at JKIA, with workers demanding better pay, benefits and working conditions.
The present dispute, however, centres heavily on the implementation of agreements previously reached between workers and aviation authorities.
KAWU says workers are not simply seeking better pay; they want commitments already made by authorities to be honoured.
The government and aviation agencies now face pressure to resolve the dispute before the disruption spreads further and causes greater losses for airlines, businesses and travellers.