With days ticking to the globally celebrated lovers’ day, only memories of fresh roses remain for hundreds of workers from Karuturi flower farm in Naivasha.
Four years after the farm closed down, workers’ hopes have been dashed following the ruling by the Court of Appeal last week ordering the owners to pay Sh1.8 billion owed to CFC Stanbic Bank.
And with the ruling, millions of shillings that the over 2,500 former workers demanded as savings hang in the balance. Schools and businesses around South Lake in Naivasha also face closure.
On Friday, judges William Ouko, Stephen Gatembu Kairu and Daniel Musinga dismissed with cost, an appeal case filed by Karuturi.
In the case, the owners were challenging a decision made by the High Court on 19 January last year, allowing Stanbic Bank to auction its assets if they failed to clear the Sh1.8B debt.
According to Ferdinand Juma, KPAWU secretary-general in Naivasha, the ruling marked the darkest moment for the workers who had gone through untold suffering.
“Over 15 former workers have died while waiting for their dues, tens are in depression and their only hope was with the court ruling which has gone against them,” he said.
The unionist added that a case where the workers through their Sacco were owed Sh29 million by the bank had been postponed on various occasions further worsening the situation.
“The Sacco is demanding Sh29 million from Stanbic Bank and another Sh17 million from the owner and if released this can change the lives of these suffering workers,” he said.
The chairman South Lake Community Peter Mehta noted that the closure of the farm four years ago had adversely affected businesses in the area.
“The ruling by the court is the last nail on the coffin and we expect more traders to close down their shops once the bank starts selling the assets of this farm,” he said.
According to a former worker Ann Nafula, the ruling had shattered their dreams. She has resigned to fate adding that they are now open to ‘anything’. An emotional Nafula who worked in the farm for 15 years said that all she wanted was her savings so that she could restart her life.
“The court did not address the issue of our savings and we do not know what will happen to our school going children as the company assets including the houses will be sold,” she said.
The workers’ representative Samson Auda said that they were owed over Sh220 million by the former owners of the company in terms of savings and earnings.
He said that since 2014 when the bank took over the farm, no worker had been paid adding that the over 25,000 people who depended on the farm directly would be affected.
“We had pegged our hopes on the ruling by the court but things have turned against us as we do not know who will pay our savings,” he said.