Passengers stranded in Kenya amid protests over Adani airport takeover

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded at Kenya’s main airport after workers went on strike to protest against a planned takeover by an Indian business group.

Long lines of passengers formed outside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi on Wednesday morning as flights were delayed and cancelled.

Union leaders said Wednesday night that they would return to work and normal operations would resume soon.

Workers have launched a protest against the proposal to lease JKIA to the Adani group for 30 years. The aviation workers union has said the deal is “opaque” and could lead to job losses.

Unions agreed to return to work after being assured that the deal with Adani would not be completed without their approval.

The government says the airport in the capital Nairobi is operating beyond capacity and needs private investment to upgrade it.

Dozens of airport workers blew plastic trumpets and chanted “Adani must go” on Wednesday morning, according to footage aired on local television station Citizen TV.

The video also shows a police officer beating a protester with a baton.

Wilma van Altena, who was on holiday in Kenya but cut her trip short to return to the Netherlands for a funeral, was among those stranded at the airport.

“It was chaos… there were hundreds of people outside the airport when we arrived, we stood around and eventually got inside,” she told the BBC.

“We have no information. Nothing on the board, we have not heard anything from the airline. I need to go home but I do not know when that will happen.”

The Zimbabwe men’s football team is also stranded.

The team flew to Nairobi after an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uganda, but were given no information about the onward flight to Harare, an unnamed official told the BBC.

BBC reporter Stewart Maclean, who was waiting for the flight, said at around 05:45 BST (07:45 local time) the hundreds of people queuing outside the airport were calm and patient but appeared frustrated.

Flight attendants and pilots were also among those waiting, he said.

“Minimum operations” resumed at 05:00 BST (07:00 local time), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said, adding that it was working with relevant parties to resolve the disruption.

Kenya Airways chief executive Allan Kilavuka told the BBC that only a third of the airline’s scheduled flights were departing on Wednesday morning.

Workers at other airports across the country have also joined the strike.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union had earlier warned of an indefinite strike after the government failed to disclose details of the deal with the Adani Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates.

The Kenya Bar Association and the Kenya Human Rights Commission have also criticized the plans, saying it is inappropriate to lease strategic national assets to a private company.

The two sides filed a complaint with the High Court, which then ordered the deal to be halted pending judicial review.

The date of the court’s final ruling has not yet been set.

Under the proposal, Adani Group would lease JKIA in return for an investment of $1.85bn (£1.41bn). The upgrade would include a new runway and an improved passenger terminal.

The Adani Group was founded by billionaire Gautam Adani and operates across a range of sectors, including commodities trading, airports, utilities, ports and renewable energy.

In July, Kenyan protesters opposing the takeover threatened to shut down JKIA, citing allegations of corruption by the Adani Group.

Mr Adani is said to have close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has long faced accusations that he has benefited from this relationship, an allegation he has denied.

Last year, a US-based investment firm accused Adani Group of stock manipulation and “naked” accounting fraud spanning decades. Adani Group has denied the allegations, but India’s market regulator has launched an investigation.

Additional reporting by Sharanya Hrishikesh.