Workers employed by Envirocare Cleaning Services, a cleaning company contracted to provide services at Bunge Towers and other government buildings, have raised concerns over delayed salaries, with employees claiming they have been left without clear communication from the company despite continuing to report to work.
According to a worker who contacted us and requested complete anonymity, employees have not received their June and July 2026 salaries, even though April and May salaries were eventually paid at the beginning of June. The worker says the delay has now left employees struggling to meet basic expenses while they continue providing cleaning services at government facilities.
The complaint further states that workers have been discouraged from directly approaching Members of Parliament and other government officials about their situation, with employees being told that they should not meet the "wahesh" because they might explain what they go through at work.
This raises a serious question about the relationship between companies contracted to work in public institutions and the workers who provide those services, particularly where employees are afraid to raise concerns about their wages because they could face consequences from their employer.
The complaint received ¶
Hello Nyakundi id I do not want them to abduct me with Kiambu road boys and speed off. This company when you raise an issue against them they rush to offer you a free ride to DCI hq. There is this cleaning company called Envirocare Cleaning Services contracted at the Bunge Towers and so much more government buildings they have not paid their staffs to date july salaries and no communication. Either way they tell us you are not supposed to meet with wahesh because they will tell them what they go through just imagine May and june salaries were paid at the start of july since then no salary for July has been paid and no one is supposed to question kindly expose lets seek justice for them
The complaint describes a workforce that says it has continued working despite uncertainty over its wages, with the absence of communication making the situation even more difficult for employees who depend on their monthly salaries to pay rent, buy food, meet transport costs and support their families.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, through the relevant labour officers, should examine this and establish whether workers have been paid in accordance with their employment terms and the requirements of Kenyan labour law. Where there are outstanding wages, the relevant labour authorities should establish the amount owed and require the employer to address the matter.
The Parliamentary administration and the relevant authorities responsible for Bunge Towers should also establish whether the contractor is meeting its obligations to workers while providing services within a government facility. Where public institutions engage private contractors, the welfare of workers delivering those services should not become an issue that disappears between the contractor and the institution.
A wider problem facing contracted workers ¶
This is not the first complaint we have received involving workers employed by private companies providing services to public institutions, with similar concerns emerging over delayed salaries, poor working conditions and workers being afraid to speak openly about their problems.
Workers at Kenya Shipyards Limited in Kisumu previously complained that they had been working overtime from around 4:30pm to 6pm and on weekends without receiving overtime compensation, with the workers alleging that those who questioned the matter risked victimisation or termination.
In another complaint, workers at PADA Security, a security company operating from Sigona, alleged that guards were being paid as little as KSh8,000 to KSh10,000 despite clients allegedly paying substantially more for their services, while the workers further claimed that SHA and NSSF contributions had stopped and that employees who followed up on the matter risked losing their jobs.
Workers at Ashburn Community Nursing Home in Siaya County also raised concerns over months of unpaid salaries, with the complaint alleging that some employees had accumulated three months of arrears while former workers had reportedly left the facility with three or four months of unpaid wages.
These complaints involve different employers and sectors, but they point to the same concern, where workers say they continue providing services while struggling to access wages and statutory protections that should form part of a normal employment relationship.
A government building can have clean floors, clean offices and clean corridors, but that should never come at the expense of workers who are struggling to get the salaries they have already earned.