Workers involved in President William Ruto's Affordable Housing Programme have raised concerns over prolonged salary delays, with some Clerks of Works say they have gone for up to 10 months without receiving payment despite continuing to supervise construction at various government housing projects.
In a complaint shared with Nyakundi Report, one of the affected employees revealed that several clerks stationed at different construction sites have accumulated months of unpaid wages, leaving them struggling to meet basic needs. The worker also disclosed that contractors undertaking the housing projects have failed to pay ordinary construction labourers, raising questions about the treatment of employees responsible for delivering one of the government's flagship development programmes.
The revelations have raised concerns about how contractors implementing publicly funded housing projects are managing their financial obligations to workers. While the government continues to promote the Affordable Housing Programme as a major achievement in housing delivery and job creation, employees responsible for supervising construction and carrying out physical work say they are struggling to survive without their wages.
The affected workers are now demanding urgent intervention from the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Labour to investigate the outstanding payments, establish whether contractors have received funds for completed work and ensure that all affected employees are paid.
They also want the government to explain how workers can remain unpaid for nearly a year while construction continues at the same sites.
Hello Cyprian,Kindly hide my identity because I am currently working as a Clerk of Works under the government's Affordable Housing Programme, and I fear losing my job for exposing what is happening at various construction sites across the country. Cyprian, there is a serious problem affecting workers employed under the Affordable Housing Programme. Several Clerks of Works stationed at different projects have gone for up to 10 months without receiving their salaries, yet they are expected to continue reporting to work and supervising construction activities. We have families to feed, rent to pay, children in school and other financial responsibilities, but our employers continue keeping us waiting for money we have already worked for.What makes the situation even more frustrating is that ordinary construction labourers are also suffering. Contractors working on these government housing projects are failing to pay workers on time, leaving people who spend their days at construction sites struggling to meet their basic needs. These are the same workers building the houses the government continues promoting as a major achievement, yet some cannot afford to take care of their own families because their wages remain unpaid. How can the government continue celebrating the Affordable Housing Programme while the people responsible for supervising and constructing these houses are going for months without salaries? Who is monitoring these contractors, and what action is being taken against those who fail to pay workers? We also want to know whether the contractors have received payments for the work completed and, if so, why employees are still waiting for their money. We are asking the Ministry responsible for Housing, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, and the relevant labour authorities to urgently investigate unpaid wages across Affordable Housing Programme sites, establish the outstanding amounts and ensure that affected workers receive their money. Cyprian, kindly expose this situation and help us get justice. We cannot continue building affordable houses for other Kenyans while struggling to afford food, rent and school fees for our own families. The government must address the suffering of the very workers delivering its flagship housing programme.