A group of construction workers in Uasin Gishu County has expressed concerns over their poor work environment.
The group under the umbrella of Western Kenya Mafundi Association says they have been subjected to poor salaries with no protective gear while at construction sites.
Raphael Omboko, the chairman of the association notes that there have been rising cases of construction workers getting injured at construction sites in Eldoret town, with many unable to pay for their medication.
He challenged relevant government agencies to effectively deliver on their mandate that will ensure contractors adhere to constructions laws and regulations.
“We urge the government to collaborate with us so that we can build strong buildings and reduce cases of some of them collapsing, leading to deaths,” said Omboko.
Brony Koech, the vice Secretary of the Western Kenya Mafundi Association shared similar sentiments, expressing concerns that many contractors do not provide safety and protective gears for construction such as gumboots and helmets – exposing them to risks.
The other objective of the Western Kenya Mafundi Association is to ensure constructors’ welfare is also considered.
“We want to advocate and educate constructors to obtain new skills where we shall be training them on new digital era techniques about construction – for example, we used to have old ceilings, now we have the gypsum and we need them to know how to install them,” Koech said.
The association is also working on linking the constructors with jobs in a move aimed at improving their members’ livelihoods.
Aside from pushing for a better work environment for the construction workers, the association is also planning to roll out financial pieces of training to help its members.
“Many of our members are in Sacco and have a lot of money but some are misusing it. We want to start educating them on how to invest in different projects,” said the Western Kenya Mafundi Association Vice Secretary.
He also challenged the workers to register with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) so as to help ease the burden of their medical bills whenever they or their family members fall sick.
Good idea