A section of employees of Raiply factory in Eldoret town has argued Deputy President Dr William Ruto to come to their aid following the prolonged government ban on cutting trees in public forests.
A big percentage of the production process in the Raiply factory involves the use of timber and wood products and the decline in the number of trees entering the factory has forced hundreds of employees to stay without work.
Raiply's primary product is wood sheeting which includes plywood, block board, chipboard, ceiling board and veneers.
“I work in the plywood department where we produce wood products like plywoods, ceiling boards, etc, but I have not reported to work since mid last year because there are very minimal trees being received at the factory. I have loans in the bank and I don’t know how I will sort them," said Richard Wafula, an employee at Raiply factory.
“We plead with the deputy president to pressurize the government to temporarily lift the ban on cutting trees in public forests so as to rescue our jobs. We know he has the ability to do so. This factory is a source of employment to thousands of people hence many families depend on its income for survival,” Joseph Omondi, a Raiply employee said.
Production level at the factory has deteriorated rapidly within the last one year and only departments which do not require tree products are actively running.
Raiply is one of the biggest factories in the Rift Valley and in the country with a workforce of over ten thousand employees and has been in operation for the last two decades.
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