Nakuru County’s debt crisis deepens as workers go unpaid for 5 months

A pile of garbage that has remained uncollected for the third week running raising fears of a disease outbreak in Naivasha. PHOTO: ANTONY GITONGA

NAIVASHA: The debt crisis in Nakuru County reached new heights after it emerged that a group of workers had not been paid for the last five months.

The workers from the department of environment in Naivasha have gone without pay for the period after the finance department failed to cater for their salaries during budget making.

Following the impasse, there is a garbage crisis in Naivasha town as the over 100 casual labourers down tools demanding their salaries.

With the support of area MCAs, the workers told of their suffering noting that they were sleeping hungry while their school going children had been sent home.

"Our work entails cleaning the town but for the last five months we have not received any payment and we have no option but to down our tools," said one of the workers.

Following the move, major streets and estates in the town were covered in garbage raising fears of a disease outbreak.

One of the largest estates in Naivasha is currently suffering from cholera outbreak and the new move according to public health officers, could compound the situation.

The chairman implementation committee in the county assembly Simon Wanyoike confirmed the impasse terming it as shameful.

Wanyoike said that he had in the past held various meetings with the executive officers to resolve the crisis to no avail.

"The junior workers have not been paid for the last five months yet the county is generating millions from revenue every month," he said.

The sentiments were echoed by nominated MCA Esther Njeri Mengere who said that the workers were living in deplorable conditions.

Njeri challenged Governor Kinuthia Mbugua to intervene and the workers paid adding that the lakeside town was slowly sinking into garbage.

"These workers perform the most difficult job of cleaning this town but the county has forgotten them leading to the current crisis," she said.

This came as a group of contractors and the MCAs cried foul for non-payment by the county for their services in the last two years.

The MCAs led by Wanyoike warned that major projects in the county could collapse due to the impasse that dates back to the 2014-15 financial year.

"The assembly debated and allocated funds to pay the contractors for the work done in 2014-15 financial year but this has not been carried out," he said.