Sunday, November 1, 2020 – Nairobi Metropolitan services (NMS) boss Mohammed Badi has landed in deep trouble for employing children to undertake Government projects in the city.
During an interview, Badi admitted that he had hired street children to tarmac Grogan Road in Nairobi CBD among other projects.
“The street children are some of the most effective workers I have seen.”
“The street families have actually built the Grogan road into a modern international road which will soon be commissioned,” he stated.
The NMS boss further stated that the street families were very useful to NMS especially when it came to safeguarding building equipment as he did not have to incur storage fees.
“Any material, whether it is gravel, stone, or wires when I place on the ground, they sleep on them and nobody can steal,” he stated.
He further stated that the street families would begin work from 7 am to 7 pm on an ordinary shift that made the job move faster.
However, this attracted backlash from a section of Kenyans online, especially activists, who claimed that he was promoting child labour.
“Here is Gen Badi boasting about his exploitation of child labor – kids working 12hr shifts while sleeping on the streets and then being delegitimized as non-Kenyans and a menace, to boot,” said media consultant Patrick Gathara.
Political Activist Shailja Patel also chimed in noting that using unhoused children to build roads violates Article 53 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010; section 56 of the Employment Act 2007; section 7 of the Children Act 2001; and section Industrial Training Act 1960.
“They are kids.”
“GoK bragging about abusing and exploiting kids, instead of empowering them.”
“Child labour robs the children of their human dignity.”
“This is not how an open democratic society based on human dignity, freedom, and equity operates,” Edwin Kimani stated.
E! News Blog
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