PHOTO CAPTION: Ramesh Vishram - Managing Director - Cementers Ltd. Casual workers contracted by Indian-owned Cementers Limited are up in arms against their employer over the continuous delay of their dues.
A group of hirelings assigned to ongoing roadworks along Likoni, Enterprise and Shreeji Road say they are yet to receive payment for more than eight weeks.
The project is under the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), a State Corporation under the Ministry of Transport.
Cementers Limited is Primarily the Main Contractor with a core of direct staff and a proven supply chain of subcontractors, suppliers and consultants.
Writing to us on Monday, 12 September, a staffer also complained of harsh working conditions under the company's site managers who are extremely rude and have no regard for job ethics.
They threaten to sack anyone who asks about payment.
Hundreds have already been released. "Hello and good evening to you Sir, I'm writing this to request that you expose our company. I'm working with a construction company called Cementers. During our contract agreement, we had agreed on weekly payment but currently, we're going for 8 weeks and on the 9th week, they send us a one-week payment. We are really suffering, and no one can assist us. We're doing this project on Likoni, Enterprise and Shreeji Road, all under KURA. Tunakaliwa na site managers wenye wanatutisha kutufuta tukikoma. Tunafanya kazi bila ata over time na tunaenda miezi mbili alafu wanatuma malipo ya wiki moja, please assist us. Our families are really suffering, the site managers ni Umesh and Mwangi, are the worst. These Indian are misusing us like slaves tumefungiwa manyumba na tunafanya kazi tunaenda nyumbani na hatujalipwa pesa," says the source.
Cementers Ltd is associated with affluent contractor Ramesh Vishram.
It is the same construction firm that carried out shoddy works that threaten to detail the vision of the prestigious and outstanding white elephant The Nairobi Expressway.
Cementers Limited was also given a contract to work on a road in Nairobi’s Industrial Area but the work which started 3 years ago seems to have stalled.
His firm is known for delaying road and construction work or carrying out shoddy work.
Trusted insiders claim that Ramesh enjoys strong links with notable KURA officials within the city.
Engineer Jacinta Mwangi, a director of Urban Roads Planning and Design, Engineer Jackson Magondu and Engineer Benson Kariuki, in charge of Nairobi, are rumoured to be behind his steady supply of state contracts.