Investigative Report By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
Both Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission and the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture have been urged to move with speed and probe the circumstances on=
which close to 39 immigrant workers have been allowed to take up petty jobs in a sugar manufacturing factory in Nyanza.
The workers at the Kibos Sugar and allied Industries want the 48 alien workers from India kicked out and their places taken over by qualified Kenyans.
Some of the immigrant workers are retired and pensioners in the own country, and have been issued with work permits to take up petty jobs such as store keepers,.
Workers have alleged that some of the aliens finds their way into Kenya as priests coming for religious gatherings, and then ends up getting employed on petty jobs which more Kenyan are qualified to perform.
The jobs specifications for the alien workers include security, supervisors in boilers, electrical mechanics, boiler operators, welders, fitters, timekeeper clerks and store men.
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Their salaries varied from Kshs 40,000 to Kshs 105,00. The highest paid local personnel is earning Kshs 45,000per month on the company’s employment and is working as boiler engineer, But these foreign workers are not subjected to statutory reductions such as for the NSSF and NHIF.
The company has a work force of 344 employees at its Kibos based factory, which is producing approximately 150 tones of made sugar per day, and pays deduction of about Kshs 137,600 employees including staff and directors.
The company has only 13 local staff and the highest paid is Eng, Alfred Adagi OIwiti whgo is=C2=A0 a boiler engineer. He is earning Kshs 45,000 per moth, while highly paid employee is a MrWilfred Pundo Sumbawho is taking home Kshs 17,000 permonth. Otrhers are Samuel Otok Obinda Kshs 15,000 a carpenter George OIduor Apul Kshs 12,00 and James Atego Awanga also a carpent who earns Kshs 12,000.
Others are boiler foreman Phillip Olima Midigo=C2=A0 a boiler foreman Kshs 7,500, Dan Onyango Omoro Nyanjong=E2=80=99 a canbe yard supervisor Kshs 12,000 Lawrence Ouma Odoyo=C2=A0 Kshs 9,000, another cane yard clerk Dan Muga Koga ,Kshs 9,000,another boiler operator George Kamnola earns Kshs 8,500 ,his colleague Shadrack Ahori Dodo earnws Kshs 8,500, Michael Odoyo Seeh Ksh[1]s 8.500,JamesOtieno Opere Kshs Kshs 8,500,John Odhiambo Okumu Kshs 8,500,Vincent Omondi Bollo Kshs 7,500,Fred Akomo Ochieng,Kshs 7,500 and another boiler operator Shadrack Ahori Dodo Kshs 8,500.
The local workers views the huge gap between the pay-slips of the local and that of the foreign workers as an insult to the dignity of Kenya in their own=C2=A0 mother land. Moreover they said some of the jobs filled by aliens workers can easily be filled with the locals. The reason why these jobs must be [2]
What is so strange is that most of the aliens work under the supervision of their more experienced local workers, and yet they earn ten times more than their local colleagues.
The workers want the government to intervene and ensure that no foreigners are allowed to take up a simple employment that Kenyans are capable of doing.
Most of the sugar companies including the Mumias Sugar Company, which is the largest in this country is managed and manned by local experts of African origins or native. The same is also happening in the tea industry, and the workers are wondering why the government should allow an investor to violent the job and employment guideline or policy of Kenya, which stipulates that a foreign expert may be employed only in a place where local native cannot be found.
This particular firm should be probed by the two institutions so that its reasons for employing foreigners on petty jobs could be established.
It must be made to account for its reasons for employing these imported foreigners from India who are performing odd jobs that could well be done by local personnel skills in all the section of white sugar production and as such does not need any foreigners come here and grab=C2=A0 petty jobs such as time keeper and boiler o0erator or security services.
The workers the immigration Minister and his team to make an abrupt visit to the plant and verify their complaints and if possible eject the fore8gn workers.
Two senior directors of the firm=C2=A0 Mr Ragbhir Singh Chatthe the companychairman of b0ard of directors and the managing director Sukwinder Singh Chatthe could not be reached for their immediate comment.
The above situation is not alien in our current Kenya. It is shameful and a matter beyond reasonable understanding how a country grappling with unemployment for its qualified and skilled masses of youth has a ministry of immigration that keeps approving work permits for citizens from other Republics under guise that they are coming to perform expatriate skills. I beg to understand what use is an “expatriate” to manage a local pharmaceutical kenyan market (usually branded ‘country manager’) for very obvious branded pharmaceutical generics. This is a kenyan job for anyone with a bachelor of biological science degree fortified not necessarily with an MBA but a certificate or diploma in sales and marketing! Why authorize a barely qualified Asian do this job?
I am bound to think this loudly observing what Innovator Research and Development (Pharmaceutical) companies do eg GSK, Bayer, Safaricom, Sanofi, AstraZeneca… endless list. They employ locally available skills from the Managing
Director to flower garden tenders. Some of these aliens just as drawn in the above concern, come into the country and submit false details marauding as eastern africa business development managers or generally as Regional managers ( Non- existent Positions, or that are already filled) and since nobody from the government seems concerned, you are bound to meet these imposters criss-crossing between the country’s major towns. Somebody please arrest this situation for God’s sake!