There has been a disruption of flights taking off and landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport as Kenya Airways (KQ) pilots vowed to begin a strike today.

The Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa)  claim that the KQ management has failed to address their grievances. They want the board and executives ousted for undisclosed governance and leadership issues, the airline’s failure to implement pay agreements (CBA), alleged victimisation of Kalpa members and non-payment of monthly pension contributions for staff.

"Beginning Saturday, 5th November 2022, from 6.00 am local time, there shall be no Kenya Airways aircraft departing JKIA flown by a Kalpa member,” Kalpa general-secretary Murithi Nyaga said in a statement on Friday.

KQ froze paying the monthly pension contribution equivalent to 10 percent of the workers’ pay at the peak of Covid-19 pandemic. The airline says they are not in a position to pay the pension and the pending salaries which have amounted to ksh 6.5 Billion due to shortage of revenue.

Kenya Airways had sought court orders to stop the industrial action saying that cancellation of flights would cost them heavy fines. The pilots however went on with the planned strike defying court orders.