Labour
Tens of former casual employees at Migori County government have threatened to initiate a contempt case against the local government over its failure to respect a court order issued on May 2, 2024 to reinstate them. Led by Chairman of the local casual workers’ union Michael Abich, the group who were retrenched on June 15, 2023, claimed they were not informed of the reasons for their contract termination and have not been paid since.
According to Abich, the county government must obey the order by the court and reinstate all victims saying they have suffered for almost a whole year being jobless and failing in their obligations to fend for their families. “We demand that the county government respects the court’s decision and reinstate us immediately. It’s been almost a year since we were retrenched without explanation and without pay,” said the chairman today when the team addressed the press in Migori town.
Gafros Akinyi, one of the affected casual workers, calling upon the governor to reinstate the retrenched workers, asserting their right to fair treatment. Photo by Evans Shiundu
The county government, through the County Secretary Dr. Oscar Olima, announced Thursday last week that they would not comply with the court’s verdict, sparking outrage among the affected workers. Vice-Chair Simon Mbaja questioned the inconsistency in their retrenchment, noting that other members of the casual workforce have been left to serve, clearly indicating unfairness in the whole matter.
Mbaja said that some of the casual workers that the county government leadership has allowed to continue with their work were employed the same day with them, others were recruited later when the County Service Board, mandated to hire and fire workers, stood suspended for a long period of time over a court case.
“If our contracts were over, why are other members still working? Which board employed the current serving casual workers?” he asked, claiming that the county government leadership was clearly playing favouritism, nepotism and corruption in handling their case.
On his part, the local casual workers’ coordinator Dennis Aguga urged the county government to adhere to the court order, highlighting the workers’ prolonged suffering over the past year due to joblessness. “We have suffered for a full year without jobs. The county government must respect the court order and reinstate us,” Aguga stated.
Consequently, the group threatened to hold peaceful street protests starting Monday if they would not be reinstated by Friday this week.
