Despite the flower farming industry's billion-dollar annual revenue, Susan Kihika, the Governor of Nakuru, has criticized the Senate for the low wages that flower farm laborers have received.
The Governor pointed out that the Senate had not passed legislation protecting hundreds of workers and requesting an increase in their minimum wages.
This was discovered while on a development tour through Naivasha that concluded at the Karagita estate, the abode of hundreds of laborers in flower farms.
The farm owners have long faced accusations that they underpay their employees despite the difficult conditions in which they labor. They have refuted these claims, pointing out that they pay high taxes to the government.
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Kihika claims that although the floriculture industry is one of the nation's top earners of foreign exchange, the workers receive little compensation for their labor.
Speaking to the workforce on Tuesday, Kihika urged the Senate to act quickly to pass legislation forcing farmers to compensate their employees more.
East MCA of Naivasha Stanley Karanja also pointed out that flower farmers paid their workers peanuts instead of the legally required minimum wage.
He added that their working conditions needed to be addressed, pointing out that many of the workers had suffered from the chemicals used in the farms.
MCA Lakeview Alex Mbugua joined the discussion, pointing out that farmers had been paying their employees poorly for years, even though they were making billions of shillings.
Simultaneously, Kihika stated that she had met the World Rally Championship (WRC) organizers in advance of the international event that will take place in Naivasha in two weeks.
She said that, in contrast to previous years when they had received a raw deal, they had decided that local youths would be given priority regarding job opportunities.
Viwandani MCA Mwangi Muraya, for his part, stated that they were excited about the World Rally Championship because the organizers had promised local youth jobs.
