Workers at Fertiplant East Africa (FEA) Limited are crying out for a reprieve after going four months without wages.
The company, which is a subsidiary of MEA Limited, established their Sh3 billion Nakuru factory in June 2021, in a joint project with the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the government’s Big Four Agenda to boost food security and industrialization.
A source within the factory who wrote to this blog on Wednesday, September 28, explained that during the first few months of operations, everything was running smoothly.
Profits were so good that in January 2022, the management led by Executive Director Titus Gitau threw them a huge party.
From this point, things went downhill.
Working hours were increased to 14 without overtime.
To make matters worse, the toxic chemicals which they handled with their bare hands during fertilizer production began taking a toll on the employees.
Some saw their skin peel off.
Ever since they were recalled from the elections break three weeks ago, efforts to push the management into providing a solution for the delayed dues have proved futile.
They keep holding them off with endless excuses.
“Hi Nyakundi,
There’s a fertilizer production company that was opened last year in Nakuru Town, Industrial Area.
The company owners are unknown.
It manufactures NPK, CAN and DAP.
It made huge profits last year.
They made us sherehe this year January.
Days to elections, they sent us home and told us to wait for mshahara.
Almost 3 weeks ago, they called us to go back, but they haven’t paid us.
We are just doing kazi za kutafutilia huku ndani wakituambia material inakuja, mara pesa mtalipwa.
We were to produce NPK fertilizer for KTDA since they had been contracted.
The company name is FERTIPLANT EAST AFRICA, which they say is a branch of MEA Fertilizer.
Sisi kama wafanyikazi tunaumia.
Peter Munya launched the factory.
I think we are just victims of Azimio-UDA politics.
Fununu zasema kampuni ni ya Azimio.
Cyprian, kindly help us watulipe.
It’s now almost 4 months, hawajatulipa.
We were seriously exposed to toxins in the company.
Others, mpaka mikono inapeel juu ya kushika chemicals with bare hands.
Hakuna safety.
We were working almost 14 hours and paid only 8 hours, no overtime,” the source writes.
Fertiplant East Africa imports fertilizer components formulated from Europe and North America.
The plant, whose construction began in 2015, employs hundreds of employees.
