The negotiations to end the aviation workers’ strike were expected to take about three hours, but they stretched on for 15, with the government and the workers' union trading demands late into the night as pressure mounted to reopen the country’s major airports.
By the time the two sides finally signed a return-to-work agreement at about 5am on Tuesday, President William Ruto was preparing to leave for Zambia to attend President Hakainde Hichilema’s inauguration, having been drawn into the negotiations.
