Civilian staff at the Kenya Meat Commission have raised serious concerns over working conditions at the State corporation, alleging unclear overtime compensation, unsafe working arrangements, long working hours, lack of transport after late shifts, delayed confirmation of contract workers and poor handling of workplace injuries.

In a message sent by a staff member who requested anonymity, workers claim that civilian employees at KMC are being treated unfairly under the current management structure while the institution remains under the receivership of the Kenya Defence Forces.

According to the complaint, staff working in operations departments are sometimes required to work late into the night, in some cases past 9pm, without transport arrangements to take them home.

The worker claims management has told civilian staff that the only available vehicle for ferrying personnel is designated for KDF staff and should strictly carry uniformed personnel.

The complainant says this exposes civilian workers to security risks, especially because of the location of the factory and the late hours at which some employees leave work.

“Civilian staff are forced to work odd hours, sometimes past 9pm, with no transport arrangements to take them to their residences. The management claims the only vehicle available for ferrying people is designated for KDF personnel and should strictly carry uniformed staff,” the source claimed.

The workers further allege that even after working late hours, weekends and public holidays, the compensation structure remains unclear.

According to the complainant, operational staff are required to work 45 hours a week, despite contracts allegedly stating 40 hours. The worker claims that when staff question the difference between operations employees and office staff who work Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, they are profiled and labelled political by management and HR.

The source also raised concerns about the formula allegedly used to calculate overtime.

According to the complaint, overtime is calculated by taking cumulative hours worked from Monday to Sunday and subtracting 45 hours. Workers say this formula ignores the distinction between ordinary extra hours, Sunday work and public holiday work.

The staff member argues that overtime should be treated differently, with extra hours from Monday to Saturday compensated separately from Sunday and public holiday work.

The complaint also raises concerns about long-serving contract workers. According to the source, some civilian staff have allegedly been on contract for more than 10 years without being confirmed into permanent and pensionable employment.

The worker claims that when such employees ask about confirmation, they are allegedly given false hope or intimidated with threats of redundancy.

“Some civilian staff have been contracted for more than 10 years without being confirmed to permanent and pensionable basis. Upon inquiring, false hopes and intimidation of being laid off through redundancy becomes their measure,” the complainant said.

The workers also allege that some employees have suffered lifelong injuries without compensation.

The source claims injured workers fear termination if they pursue damages, and alleges that company nurses hold medical reports, making it difficult for affected employees to independently follow up their cases.

“People have suffered lifelong injuries with zero compensation. Most of them live under fear of termination if they task the company for damages. With the aid of company nurses, they hold their medical reports,” the source claimed.

The complaint also accuses management of assigning professionals to duties outside their contracts, including turning some employees into groundsmen required to slash grass in the name of teamwork.

The worker claims this is allegedly done under the supervision of an HR officer said to be working closely with management.

The source further claims that students on attachment are also affected by long working hours, weekend duties and public holiday work, especially those attached to the quality assurance department.

According to the complainant, this goes against the spirit of attachment and internship arrangements, including the code of conduct and insurance protections expected for students.

The workers also raised major occupational safety concerns.

They claim staff are sometimes assigned risky duties without proper protective gear, including handling ammonia leakages without ammonia masks and working at heights without safety harnesses.

“Safety of workers is never a priority. There is zero issuance of protective gear while working on risky assignments like handling ammonia leakages without ammonia masks and handling height duties with no safety harness,” the source claimed.

The allegations raise serious questions about labour practices, worker safety, overtime compensation, transport arrangements, contract employment, treatment of injured employees and the welfare of civilian staff working inside a parastatal under military receivership.

Civilian workers at Kenya Meat Commission are asking the Ministry of Labour, relevant parliamentary committees, occupational safety authorities and other oversight agencies to look into the matter.

The concerns being raised touch on basic workplace dignity.

If civilian staff are working late into the night, handling dangerous assignments, working weekends and public holidays, and spending years on contract without confirmation, then their concerns deserve urgent attention.

Kenya Meat Commission management, the Kenya Defence Forces, the HR office and all officials mentioned in the complaint are named in the concerns raised by the workers.

This is a developing story.