President Uhuru Kenyatta being taken through an architectural plan of the proposed EABL plant in Kisumu. He said the plant will provide more that 110,000 jobs during it groundbreaking in July 2017. [Photo nation.co.ke]
Regular operations at the Kisumu based East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) remained at a halt for the better part of Thursday morning after locals stormed the facility demanding job opportunities.
The locals drawn from the neighbouring Obunga slums claimed that the company had not considered them for any employment opportunities in the firm and that it was on a spree of hiring laborers from other regions of the country.
According to the residents who spoke to the media, the company was hiring casual workers including guards and excluding the locals despite them having the necessary skills and qualifications to take-up the jobs.
They also alleged some of the workers employed by different companies contracted to refurbish the plant were being brought in during the nights to commence their duties with some alluding that they were close relatives of the bosses charged with the responsibilities of manning the operations.
Addressing locals at the facility, Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr. Mathews Owili said that it was necessary for any company operating in the area to ensure that it hired part of its workforce from the locals for them to also benefit from their establishments.
Dr. Owili stated that the Counties administration was keen at ensuring that the youth benefited from equitable employment opportunities and that they will use all legitimate means to ensure their demand of getting at least 70% of the jobs at the plant are met.
To achieve this, the DG revealed they had initiated talks with the company’s management to aim at seeing them absorbed in job opportunities at the EABL.
He, therefore, indicated that a committee that will comprise of two representatives from the youth, the Governor, Member of County Assembly, and Member of Parliament offices will be constituted to ensure that all locals working at the facility are documented.
County Executive Committee Member in charge of Economic Planning and Development Richard Ogendo said that he will fast-track the process of seeing the youth benefit from local jobs.
He lamented that it was inappropriate for the company to import even the unskilled workers while the residents remained largely unemployed.
President Uhuru Kenyatta promised the citizenry more than 110,000 jobs when he commissioned the construction of the news EABL Company in Kisumu.