Kenya’s standard railway project stalls over strike
A construction worker at the trial section of the Standard Gauge Railway at Mtito Andei. The project employees downed their tools on February over a fuel rationing dispute with a Chinese company running the project. PHOTO | NMG
What you need to know:
More than 1000 local workers at Section 3 camp, located at Mtito Andei, where construction of the rail started, downed their tools Tuesday morning while Chinese employees remained locked up in their camps
Nairobi. Work on the Standard Gauge Railway project has stalled owing to differences over fuel management between China Road and Bridge Corporation and its employees.
More than 1000 local workers at Section 3 camp, located at Mtito Andei, where construction of the rail started, downed their tools Tuesday morning while Chinese employees remained locked up in their camps.
There was heavy police presence at the various sites on the track. The Chinese company and employees differed over fuel rationing. CRBC claims that drivers, in collusion with other manual labourers, are siphoning fuel from the vehicles as and reservoirs.
CRBC’s business manager for external relations and cooperation James Chen did not pick his cell phone when contacted for comment.
Corrupt police officers
Kenya Railways Research and Planning manager, Philip Mainga told Daily Nation on phone that the strike was started by defiant drivers after the contractor caught some of them siphoning fuel and terminated their employment.
“Together with the contractor we have been on the ground and done our investigations and found that there is already an existing cartel with businessmen along the road (Mombasa road) who are buying the loot,” he said.
He alleged corrupt police officers are also part of the cartel and they set free those arrested for theft.
“They think they are ripping off the Chinese but they are doing a very huge disservice to this country and exposing the project to billions of shillings in losses. Yet the labourers don’t want those who have been caught to be touched. We can’t allow them to go on like this,” he said.
This is the second strike in a week. Last Thursday, Section IV employees working at Machinery, Makindu and Emali sites went on strike but resumed work Saturday.
Edward Matata, the Environment Safety and Health officer with the project said the workers sought audience with their CRBC bosses over irregular pay, unpaid overtime, abuse and mistreatment by the Chinese supervisors.
The workers claimed their salaries had not been reviewed after completing their probation as per their employment contract. (NMG)
