A group of garbage collectors from Kisii town and its environs now wants the county government to allocate money in the budget to have them absorbed as permanent employees.
Speaking on Sunday during their routine cleanup of the town, they accused the county leadership for ignoring them despite making the plea persistently.
According to them, brokers have hijacked the town cleaning exercise by registering companies that offers the services which are allegedly exploiting them by giving little wages which cannot sustain their families.
They called upon Governor James Ongwae to ban companies partnering with the county government for cleaning of the town and its suburbs till their issue is amicably concluded.
“The county government has been in the frontline championing for clean county. We want the leadership to set aside some funds in the budget to have us absorbed permanently as cleaners,” said Evans Nyakwara.
“We are currently working with brokers who have registered companies and we here they have obtained contracts from the county. We earn as little as Sh200 per day and this amount cannot sustain our families. Let Ongwae ban these companies till our plea is heard,” added Peter Mokamu.
They complained of working in poor conditions something that has allegedly led to health complications to some of them who are said to have bowed out of the work.
“We are not protected when we are doing the job of collecting garbage from residential areas. We do it without gloves and protective masks and some of us have even developed health related complications and bowed out of the job,” said Mokamu.