Lamu youth have been choosy on the kind of jobs being offered at the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport corridor project.
Part of the project is being undertaken at Kililana in Lamu west.
Construction of the first three berths at the port is already more than 60 per cent complete. The first berth is expected to be ready by June.
However, there have been reports that the contractors have had to hire casual laborers from other counties as those in Lamu shun the opportunities, terming them “demeaning and way below them”.
A recent report from the office of Public Works indicates that out of the current 1,200 casual laborers working at the site, only 50 are from Lamu town.
Majority are from other parts of Lamu such as Mpeketoni, Hindi, Witu and counties like Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale.
Local youth from Lamu town have outlined low pay, long working hours and tough labour as reasons for their unwillingness to work at the Lapsset site.
