SAD, AS UNPAID LABOURERS SLEEP WITHOUT FOOD

By Beatrice Cheruto

Nyayo Tea Zone is a government Parastatal investing on tea crops along the belts of most of the highland forests in Kenya. But in a belt along  Kibaraa village, in Kuresoi North, Nakuru County, its workers are crying of delayed wages causing huge distress to them.

It is around 3pm as we approached a house of one Mary*( not her real name) , in a remote village of Kibaraa where our guide tells us that most villagers work to plug tea in the nearby vast farm of the Nyayo Tea Zone

Labourers in the NTZ farm in Kuresoi North carry tea for planting on their backs headed for a new planting sites in Kibaraa, Kiptororo

We are welcomed by three children between the ages of 3 and 10, all girls, with pitiful eyes looking up on us. They look so hungry and perhaps with fear could not ask us of anything to eat but their look in their eyes tells it all. I reached into my purse to find if anything edible remaining to get to them and i could only feel the chewing gum and a crushed biscuit. I feel bad. So I ask our guide of any of the nearest shop and get him a note to go and at least buy anything edible for the hunger looking kids as we waited for their mother to appear for our interview. 

Young boys in Kibaraa Village carry tea leaves plugged from the vast NTZ farm in the background.

Soon, Mary arrived. Although looking tiresome, she afforded to brew some tea, sugarless and almost tasteless before our guide arrived from the shop with a kilo of sugar and a couple of other basic eateries. 

After the eating and much delayed introductions,Mary narrates to us how difficult her life has become since her wages for working in the tea farm has not been paid for over five months. She is a labourer who does the weeding in the tea plantation and has worked for three years. 

" Initially, our wages would delay but was never upto 3 months as at now and we were used to it." Mary tells.

She sadly explains how she hardly goes with a meal with her children since the dues to pay them delayed. Her first born daughter is in grade three, with the second born in grade one. Mary says she could not buy them school uniform rendering to them being frequently sent home for not wearing well. 

" My plea is to the managing authorities of the Nyayo Tea Zone to consider our plight and pay us our dues" Mary pleas, as we wind up our conversation with her.

A lorry fully filled with bags of tea leaves harvested by labourers in the NTZ farms in Kibaraa, Kuresoi North.

A few months ago, the workers of the tea plantation and other community members staged a strike in bid to ask the NTZ to pay them. The months pay was however payed but not in full. Thereafter there was alot of silence on any pay to date.

A few metres from Mary's hut, we are guided to Mzee Eli's house. We are told he is a village elder of the Kibaraa Village. Our guide warns us not to indetify ourselves as journalists as we might not find the real situation affecting the workers who are also from the village Eli heads.

After pretending to be new settlers in the vicinity, we ask Eli if there are opportunities to work in the obvious vast tea farms. This was his response.

" Find something else to do or if you are ready to lament for delayed payments join the job" 

We ask Eli why there were people working despite his statement. He tells us that the people had no other options to get an income.

As we schemed to leave, our guide asks us to approach local leaders but rains heavy rains began and it prompted us to rush  back with a promise to return for digging out more in the appropriate days to come.