This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
More than 850 casual workers in Nairobi County, Kenya, took to the streets on Monday to protest unpaid wages amounting to Sh62 million.
The workers, drawn from across the 85 wards in Nairobi, claimed they had not been paid wages since July 2019, despite being engaged in beautification and garbage collection activities across the county.
According to Fazia Karaz, a leader of the casual workers, they were contracted in April 2019 to unclog drainage within Nairobi for a Sh30,000 monthly pay.
However, Governor Mike Sonko's administration has defended its failure to pay the casuals, stating that the county only owes them three months of wages, not nine months as claimed by the workers.
Mr Sonko said the programme was suspended at the end of November last year, and the months that had not been paid for were September, October, and November.
He also claimed that the protest could be the handiwork of MCAs against his administration, who have now politicised the noble initiative.
Nairobi County Chief Officer for Finance Halkano Waqo acknowledged the non-payment, saying the casuals had been under-budgeted for last year.
The county government has promised to clear the outstanding balance soon, with funds towards the same factored in a new Supplementary Appropriation Bill to be presented to the Nairobi County Assembly this week.
