Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – Deputy President William Ruto’s fortunes may have dwindled thanks to the high octane political season which has seen him spend handsomely in his bid to beat the system and become the 5th President of Kenya.
Already, people around him are feeling the heat of Ruto’s destituteness, from his office to his massive ranches and firms around the country where employees have gone for months without any pay.
Yesterday, Ruto’s employees at his Taita Taveta farm took to the streets protesting the non-payment of their wages.
Addressing journalists at the farm’s gate in Mata village, the casual laborers said they had gone up to six weeks without pay.
The laborers said they decided to protest after the management at the William Ruto linked farm failed to address their plight and vowed to continue with their strike until they are paid.
“We see that business is going on well and the company is not facing any financial crisis. We will not return to work until our salaries are paid,” Alex Saidi, one of the protesters, stated.
Apart from delayed payments, the workers further complained of what they said was harassment by a senior manager identified as Arie Dempers.
Fred Mashauri, one of the workers, said they were being subjected to poor working conditions as well as low wages.
He said he is being paid a minimum of KSh300 despite working from morning to late evening.
He said that though he had worked on the farm for five years, he was yet to be absorbed as a permanent employee.
“He tells us that if we don’t want to work we should leave. He is very hostile to the workers,” he claimed.
It must be noted that Arie is the same manager who was accused of diverting water meant for public use onto the farm, denying the neighboring community the precious commodity.
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