*

Protesting workers cause chaos for passengers

*

Fears that lease to Adani Group would bring job cuts

*

Adani has pledged investment of $1.85 bln

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Regional airlines suffer delays and cancellations

*

Air traffic control says operating normally

(Adds meeting between government, union officials, paragraph 4)

By Edwin Waita

NAIROBI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Workers at Kenya's main

international airport began a strike on Wednesday against an

Indian company seeking to lease it, blowing plastic trumpets and

scuffling with police in a protest that caused cancellations and

delays for hundreds of passengers.

Dozens of workers at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International

Airport chanted "Adani must go", referring to a proposed deal

for the Adani Group to lease it for 30 years in exchange for an

$1.85 billion investment in expansion.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the sector regulator, said

that air traffic control services were fully operational, with

landings and take-offs uninterrupted.

Isaac Mwaura, the government spokesperson, said later on

Wednesday that Transport Minister Davis Chirchir was meeting

officials of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union, whose members

were on strike and they would give a statement afterwards.

Outside the terminals, passengers sat on curbs and luggage

trolleys waiting for updates on flights as departure and arrival

boards were shut off.

"It's very poor," said one passenger, Ahmed Abdulrahman,

recounting a six-hour wait.

"Nobody is coming out to tell us anything, whether we should

leave or look for a hotel or something. I have a little child

here waiting hungrily," added Warda Omar.

TV footage showed one police officer hitting a protester

with a baton. By midday, lines of passengers were moving again,

as police conducted security checks instead of airport staff.

It was unclear how many workers were taking part in the

strike, which has been declared indefinite, or how much

disruption had been caused.

Major regional carriers Emirates, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian

Airlines and RwandAir reported flight cancellations and delays.

JOB LOSSES

The strike spread to workers at regional airports in the

cities of Kisumu and Mombasa, the Nation newspaper reported.

The Adani Group, led by one of Asia's richest people,

billionaire Gautam Adani, did not respond to a request for

comment.

Adani's group operates seven airports in India and has often

faced criticism from Indian opposition parties for winning

favours from ruling governments. Indian officials and the Adani

group have denied such accusations.

Adani is also considering investing in two airports in

Vietnam, the Vietnamese government said in July.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union argues that a deal with

Adani would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers.

Kenya's government has said the airport is operating above

capacity and needs modernising, but that it is not for sale. It

says no decision has been made on what it calls a proposed

public-private partnership to upgrade the site.

Kenya's high court on Monday temporarily blocked the Adani

proposal, in which it would build a new runway and upgrade the

passenger terminal, to allow time for a judicial review.