The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has served a seven-day strike notice to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), citing grave concerns over the KAA Board's alleged incompetence and demanding immediate resolution of six critical grievances. The union, through its Secretary General Moss Ndiema, explicitly stated that all unionisable employees would cease work upon the expiration of the notice period, which commenced with a letter dated September 23 addressed to the Acting Managing Director and CEO of KAA.

At the heart of KAWU's discontent is a profound "loss of faith in the KAA Board of Directors." Ndiema accused the board of poor governance, systemic inefficiencies, and a striking lack of foresight, which has reportedly led to detrimental decisions, including the contentious Adani lease deal. The union's letter, also copied to the Labour Cabinet Secretary, asserted that "The Board is not serving the best interests of Kenyans as custodians of KAA. For their incompetence and lack of direction, the Board ought to resign."

Beyond the overarching issue of board leadership, KAWU outlined several specific grievances. A major point of contention is the reported transfer of the Ground Flight Safety (GFS) department from KAA to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). The union warned that such a move would inevitably trigger significant job losses, widespread redundancies among KAA staff, and substantial revenue losses for the authority, severely impacting its operational and financial stability.

Further exacerbating tensions, the union highlighted KAA's failure to transition over 500 contract employees to permanent and pensionable terms, leaving a large segment of its workforce in precarious employment conditions. Additionally, KAWU pointed to the administration's failure to issue substantive appointment letters to employees who had been promoted, indicating a lack of formal recognition and security for their enhanced roles. Staff at Wilson Airport were also specifically mentioned, with the union demanding the payment of six months' worth of overdue overtime dues.

The alleged "crippling and dismantling of the Human Resources department" by the KAA board was another significant issue raised. KAWU stated that this development had paralyzed staff welfare initiatives and stalled critical Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) processes, further eroding employee morale and trust. The union's final warning was unequivocal: unless these issues are "conclusively addressed" within the stipulated seven-day period, KAWU will be left with "no other alternative but to resort to industrial action," signaling a potentially disruptive halt to aviation services.