A road construction company has been forced to close down its site in Kisumu over a stormy protest by locals.
The residents and local leaders accused the company of ferrying drivers from their Kericho construction site instead of employing local drivers.
Locals engaged police in running battles and police had to use teargas canisters to disperse them from the site at Tieng’re area in Kisumu West constituency.
The incident forced the company vacate the construction machines from the site under tight security in fear that they might be set on fire.
One of the top company’s worker sustained serious injuries after he was attacked by the agitated youths. He was rushed to Aga Khan hospital in Kisumu.
This comes barely a week after the company recruited 32 unskilled workers, 19 of them from Kisumu.
The National Government had mandated the company to expand the road from Kisumu International Airport to Kisian area on the Kisumu-Busia road.
Yazeel Yaghmour, the SBI construction manager, said the road is the continuation of Kericho-Kisumu construction work.
He noted that the road expansion is an old project, saying they will work with the existing drivers. He added that the expansion is to take 10 months.
“We have recruited locals in departments that require less expertise,” Yazeel said.
He said they have suspended the construction work after they were forced to close the site until the matter will be resolved.
The locals, some drawn as far as Homa Bay and Siaya counties, have been camping at the site since last week, waiting for an opportunity to get a job.
Kisumu Central Ward MCA Pamela Jossy and her South West counterpart Joseph Abiola said local communities should be given priority to prevent further conflict.
They said they are not against the road expansion but urged SBI managers to listen to the views of the area residents.