Former Kiambu governor William Kabogo has weighed in JKIA’s strike.
Kabogo insists that it isn’t good for the country’s image.
He has therefore urged the national government to address grievances raised by aviation workers. The employees downed their tools on Wednesday, March 6, paralysed operations and left thousands of travellers stranded at the Jomo Kenya International Airport (JKIA).
The workers are opposed to a proposed merger of Kenya Airways (KQ) and JKIA which they fear will leave them without jobs. They were also demanding for implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement they had signed with the employer to improve their pay. “The image of the nation is at stake. Tourists got stranded at the airport and millions of shillings were lost during the close down,” said Kabogo.
The ex-county boss said that the issue of the merger ought to be handled carefully and its implementation not hurried. All parties involved, Kabogo said, had to be called on the negotiations table and educated on the issue. “I would like to call all the relevant stakeholders to sit down and solve the problem. JKIA is our pride as Kenyans and we must protect its reputation,” he stated.