Workers prepare flowers for export at a farm in Naivasha
Kenya’s flower and horticultural exporters are counting losses that could extend beyond the end of the aviation workers’ strike as airlines and cargo handlers race to clear huge backlogs of perishable produce.
The strike ended on Tuesday following a truce between the government, local airlines and aviation workers’ unions, but the return to normal operations is expected to take several days.
The Kenya Flower Council (KFC) said about 1,000 tonnes of cargo remained at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), with additional produce stranded on farms and in packhouses.
The strike and subsequent go-slow disrupted flights from August 30, 2026, affecting the movement of flowers, fruits and vegetables to key international markets in Europe and the Middle East.
Unlike conventional cargo, fresh produce depends on strict delivery schedules and short market windows. Flight cancellations and delays therefore left exporters facing the risk of produce losing quality or perishing before reaching customers.
The industry is also dealing with cancelled orders and missed market windows, with exporters now racing to clear the accumulated cargo before more highly perishable products lose value.
Several days to recover
KFC Chief Executive Officer Clement Tulezi said normal operations would take several days to resume fully because of the volume of cargo accumulated during the disruption.
“It will take several days for the supply chain to recover, and unfortunately some orders have already been lost or will not reach customers within their intended market windows,” Tulezi said.
The council called on airlines, the Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, cargo handlers, freight forwarders and other government agencies to work with exporters to clear the backlog.
It urged stakeholders to prioritise the most time-sensitive perishable cargo.
Flowers, vegetables and fruits cannot simply be stored indefinitely until the next available flight, Tulezi said.
Exporters operate around fixed airline schedules, auction windows, retailer programmes and delivery commitments in overseas markets.
“Every additional hour of delay can reduce shelf life and quality, while also increasing cold-chain, storage and handling costs,” Tulezi said.
Millions at risk
The disruption has raised fresh concerns over the vulnerability of Kenya’s export supply chain to industrial action at the country’s main international aviation gateway.
Kenya exports between 5,500 and 7,000 tonnes of air cargo every week, much of it consisting of fresh produce, horticultural products and cut flowers.
That translates to approximately 550 to 1,000 tonnes of air cargo per day.
At an average free-on-board value of $3, equivalent to about Sh388 per kilogramme, daily airfreight exports are estimated at between $2 million and $3 million.
This puts the value of potentially delayed exports over two days at approximately Sh517.8 million to Sh776.3 million.
The actual losses, however, will depend on how much cargo was eventually shipped, the quantity of produce that deteriorated, and the extent to which delayed deliveries affected prices and customer contracts.
Exporters also incurred additional storage costs estimated at between $0.10 and $0.20 per kilogramme per day.
Flower industry particularly exposed
Kenya’s flower industry is particularly vulnerable because of its heavy dependence on daily air connections to European and other international markets.
Official statistics show that Kenya exported approximately 130,600 tonnes of cut flowers worth Sh81.3 billion in 2025.
Flower export volumes increased by 27.4 per cent while earnings rose by 12.8 per cent compared with 2024.
Overall fresh horticultural exports stood at about 457,900 tonnes valued at Sh143.8 billion, with flowers accounting for approximately 62 per cent of the total value.
KFC warned that the latest disruption could have consequences extending beyond immediate financial losses.
The council said Kenya’s reputation as a reliable supplier could also be affected if international buyers repeatedly experience delays.
“When Kenya cannot deliver, buyers have alternatives,” the council said.
International auctions, retailers and importers continued operating during the disruption, while competing flower-producing countries remained ready to supply the affected markets.
Kenya has spent decades investing in production technology, certification, sustainability, cold-chain infrastructure and relationships with international buyers.
“Reliability is itself part of what Kenya sells,” Tulezi said, warning that repeated disruptions could encourage international buyers to shift orders to competing origins.
Calls for contingency plan
The KFC welcomed the return-to-work agreement between aviation workers, government agencies and other stakeholders.
However, it said the industrial dispute should have been resolved through dialogue before escalating into a disruption of critical aviation infrastructure.
Shippers Council of Eastern Africa Chief Executive Officer Agayo Ogambi said labour disputes could result in significant economic losses and urged stakeholders to prioritise dialogue.
The aviation disruption also affected airlines, logistics companies, ground handlers, hotels, airport retailers and other businesses that depend on Kenya’s position as a regional aviation hub.
KFC is now calling for the establishment of a national aviation contingency protocol for perishable exports.
The proposed framework would include priority cargo handling, cold-chain continuity, alternative routing, backlog management and real-time communication with exporters during disruptions.
The council also wants a permanent aviation industrial relations mechanism to identify and resolve labour disputes before they escalate into disruptions of critical trade infrastructure.
For Kenya’s horticulture industry, the latest disruption has highlighted a fundamental vulnerability: a delay at the airport can quickly become a loss for farmers, exporters and the wider economy.
