PRESS RELEASE: KPAWU Against the action taken by a sisal farm associated with Baringo Senator Hon. Gideon Moi to Kick-out employees from the farm in spite of an existing court order
The Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union, KPAWU, which represents more than 400,000 workers in Plantation Agriculture in the country including tea, coffee and horticulture is deeply concerned and distressed by the action taken by a sisal farm associated with Baringo Senator Hon. Gideon Moi to lock-out all its 324 employees from the farm despite an existence of a court order restraining the management of the farm from taking such action.
It is absurd that the management of Migotiyo Plantation in Baringo County has forcefully and with impunity sacked these employees without any due regard to the existing Labour Laws, evicted their children from the farm and even followed them to the neighbouring schools and forced them out before proceeding to acclaim that the cited employees and their families are strangers.
The union filed a case at the Employment and Labour Relations Court, and prohibited the Company from terminating, evicting and denying essential services or shopping facilities to any employee. The management didnt honour the court orders yet they were duly served upon them.
Further, any attempts to drag the Education ministry into the eviction saga are simply diversionary since the officers from Ministry of Education have no powers whatsoever to evict the employees and their families from the school compound where they have gone to seek alternative shelter after the management of Migotiyo farm evicted them from the farm.
The employees children are indeed the worst hit after they were evicted as the company management demolished all the houses occupied by the employees, closed down all the shops, hospital and disconnected water. It is this action that led them to camp at the school compound where they got a place to put their belongings and children.
KPAWU now wishes to appeal to both the National and County governments to urgently intervene and rescue these workers and their families from further pain and agony that is being inflicted upon them by the management of Mogotiyo farm as these families lives are now in danger following the closure of all essential facilities and brutal manner in which they have been handled.
Signed
Thomas Kipkemboi
Deputy General Secretary
