Gatundu North residents have accused a Chinese firm contracted to construct the Sh24 billion Kariminu II dam project of hiring 'outsiders' and leaving them jobless.
They said Avic International Holding Corporation has been outsourcing labour from other regions while overlooking the unemployed residents.
Residents threatened to disrupt activities at the site until their plight is addressed.
Led by Chania MCA Martin Njoroge and his Githobokoni counterpart Samuel Njega, the residents on Friday stormed the project’s treatment plant site in Kariua village, where they demanded that the contractor give them jobs.
Njoroge said the government has not fulfilled its promise of giving 70 per cent of jobs to residents of the place where a project is being undertaken.
“We [area MCAs] have been reaching out to the contractor to have our people secure jobs at the site, but our efforts have been unsuccessful as our pleas have always been ignored. Today, we have said enough is enough. We must know why our people are being denied jobs,” he said.
The ward rep said the area has skilled and qualified drivers, masons, mechanics, plumbers, technicians and plant operators, but they have not benefited from the project.
“The contractor is outsourcing labour which can be provided by residents. This is a disservice to our people,” he said.
Residents claimed they have attended several interviews, only for non-locals to be given jobs. They also claimed that they are asked for bribes for jobs.
However, project human resource manager Luta Mukhomah said operations have been mechanised and the work required skilled labour, which had to be outsourced.
Mukhomah assured residents that they will soon be hired. He said that within three months, a lot of work will be going on and more than 1,500 workers will be required.
“The groundwork is going to take two to three weeks after which the project will start expanding meaning that we will need more workers,” he said.
He further denied bribery claims made by residents, saying the hiring process is transparent and any official caught demanding bribes from jobseekers would be fired. “I call upon residents to show us who have been demanding money from them for action to be taken,” he said.
The project is being funded by the government of Kenya and China Exim Bank. It is being implemented through a joint venture between International Holding Corporation (AVIC) and Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (SMEDI).
The dam will be built on 600 acres and will take 36 months to complete. Upon completion, the dam will produce 70,000 cubic metres of water per day.
Once complete, Kiambu residents will be the major beneficiaries since 80 per cent of the water will go to Thika, Juja and Ruiru constituencies. The remaining 20 per cent will supply Nairobi.
Water CS Sicily Kariuki recently said that the contractor had been instructed to hire an additional workforce as well as operate on a 24-hour cycle to recover the two months that the project had stalled due to Covid-19 protocols.
“No more delays will be allowed. The contractor has been directed to engage additional labour to ensure that the project is completed at the scheduled time by May 2022,” she said.
Edited by A.N
