Workers prepare flowers for export at a farm in Naivasha / FILE
Kenya’s flower and horticulture exporters will count losses beyond the duration of the aviation workers' strike due to huge backlogs.
The strike ended on Tuesday, leaving exporters and airlines struggling to clear a huge backlog amid missed orders and cancellations.
According to the Kenya Flower Council, about 1,000 tonnes of cargo is still at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) alone, with additional produce held on farms and in packhouses.
A strike and go-slow by aviation workers disrupted flights starting August 30, 2026, but was called off after a truce between the government, local airlines, and respective unions.
Cut flowers, fruits, and vegetables rely entirely on speed and strict delivery windows to reach international markets like Europe and the Middle East.
The resulting flight delays, KFC says, hence led to cancellations, and ground backlogs meant many fresh products faced severe risks of perishing before export.
The industry is also dealing with lost orders and missed market windows, with exporters now racing to clear the backlog before more highly perishable produce loses value.
KFC chief executive Clement Tulezi said normal operations would take several days to resume fully, given the volume of cargo that accumulated during the two-day 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, with the most time-sensitive perishables given priority.
Unlike conventional cargo, flowers, vegetables and fruits cannot simply be held until the next available flight, he 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.
The latest disruption has therefore 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 tonnes and 7,000 tonnes of air cargo every week, much of it consisting of fresh produce, horticultural products and cut flowers. This translates to between 550 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes daily.
At an average free-on-board value of $3 (about Sh388) per kilogramme, daily airfreight exports are estimated at between $2 million and $3 million, putting the value of potentially delayed exports over two days at between Sh517.8 million and Sh776.3 million.
The actual losses, however, will depend on how much cargo was eventually shipped, the amount 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.
The flower industry is particularly exposed because of its heavy dependence on daily air connections to European and other international markets.
Kenya exported about 130,600 tonnes of cut flowers valued at Sh81.3 billion in 2025, according to official statistics. Flower export volumes rose 27.4 per cent while earnings increased 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 value.
The KFC said the latest disruption threatens more than immediate revenue, warning that Kenya’s reputation as a reliable supplier could also suffer.
“When Kenya cannot deliver, buyers have alternatives,” the council said, noting that international auctions, retailers and importers continued operating during the disruption while competing flower-producing countries remained ready to supply.
The council said Kenya had spent decades investing in production technology, certification, sustainability, cold-chain infrastructure and relationships with global 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.
The council welcomed the return-to-work agreement between aviation workers, government agencies and other stakeholders but said the industrial dispute should have been resolved through dialogue before it escalated into a shutdown.
The Shippers Council of Eastern Africa chief executive, 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 dependent on Kenya’s position as a regional aviation hub.
KFC has called for a national aviation contingency protocol for perishable exports, including priority cargo handling, cold-chain continuity, alternative routing, backlog management, and real-time communication with exporters.
It also wants a permanent aviation industrial relations mechanism to identify and resolve disputes before they disrupt critical trade infrastructure.
