Kenya's main international airport in Nairobi was plunged into chaos overnight as its staff went on strike at midnight Wednesday to protest a planned takeover.

Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) came to a complete standstill, AFP reported, adding that management was drafting a statement.

Kenya's Aviation Workers Union confirmed that they went on strike starting midnight, in a post on social media website X.

Images on social media showed passengers trying to get their luggage while Kenya Airways warned that passengers were likely to face delays and cancellations of some flights, due to the strike.

Why airport staff are against the Adani deal?

Staff at the airport are protesting a plan to lease the airport to India's Adani Group for 30 years in exchange for $1.8 billion in investment.

Owned by Gautam Adani, the Indian conglomerate has several publicly listed companies in sectors such as airports and ports, power generation and transmission, as well as coal and gas trading.

Adani, the second richest man in India, enjoys close ties with the ruling party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a strike notice to Henry Ogoye, acting managing director and CEO of Kenya Airport Authorities, the union said their hand had been forced by the management which failed to heed demands. 

Fears of mass layoffs

The union representing airport workers said that in three previous letters, it had demanded "the immediate resignation of the entire Board of Directors for their show of incompetence in presiding over the unlawful intended sale of JKIA to Adani Airport Holdings of India while they should have exercised prudence and accountability as the custodians of this national strategic asset on behalf of Kenyans."

The union said that the Adani Group intended to lay off the majority of employees and bring in workers from outside of Kenya to work on the project.

Moreover, the few Kenyans who will be retained will likely be forced to accept "inferior terms and conditions of service that suits the Indian firm," it said.

Freight and passenger fees from the JKIA accounts for more than 5% of Kenya's GDP.

Kenya's government has defended the deal as a necessary move to refurbish the airport. However, Kenya's high court temporarily blocked the proposal on Tuesday to allow time for a judicial review challenging the lease.

mk/kb (AFP, Reuters)