The Kenyan pilot strike that was causing the loss of over Sh300 million a day has been called off

• The Kenya Airline Pilots Association have called off their strike. 
• This is coming off the heels of a court order that stated that operations should begin effective immediately and unconditionally. 
• The strike has been a thorn on the side of the Kenyan economy despite its short lifespan. 

The Kenya Airline Pilots Association has put an end to its recent strike.

The association called off the strike after an earlier ruling on Tuesday by the Employment and Labour Relations Court which ordered the pilots to resume work.

As recently as Monday reports showed that the aviation strike had created ripple effects all across the Kenyan economy, to the point that even farmers were feeling the financial heat from the pilots' protests. Read the story here.

However, the strike was called off on Tuesday, following the loss of millions of dollars across numerous Kenyan commercial sectors.

On Tuesday, the Labour Relations Court judge Anna Mwaure ‘directed the Kenya Airways pilots to resume their duties as pilots by 6am on November 9, 2022, unconditionally.

Subsequently, the Kenya Airline Pilots Association instructed their members to resume work at the aforementioned time.

The association released a statement, which read in parts; “Members are also urged to report to the Executive Council any incident of victimization or disciplinary action that may be taken contrary to the court's orders.

Oddly, the association showed some remorse for their protest, disclosing that they feel responsible for the inconvenience they had caused their customers and the strain they had put on the economy.

The strike began on Saturday at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, defying a court order issued last week against the industrial action.

We thank the court for the expeditious ruling that now allows KQ to resume its normal operations. We commit to complying with the court's directions. Allan Kilavuka, the Group Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways, said.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen also weighed in on the subject, stating; The past 4 days have been difficult for Kenya’s aviation industry due to the strike by the Kenya Airline Pilot Association (Kalpa). We convey our sincere apologies to travelers and cargo customers affected by the strike.

I also urge the management of Kenya Airways to obey the court order barring the victimization of any of the pilots who participated in the strike. Mr Murkomen added.

In the past 3 days, this strike has disrupted travel plans for over 12,000 customers across KQ network, forced the cancellation of over 300 flights and affected 3,500 other employees who were not part of it.” He disclosed.

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