The lavish lifestyle of Chinese SGR workers amidst reports of racism and harassment of Kenyan workers[Photos]

janet ndila

July 15, 2018 9:50 AM

Kenyan SGR workers barely surviving as their Chinese counterparts live large on the Sh 1 Billion monthly bill

Fresh details have emerged on the lavish lifestyle of Chinese SGR workers with the taxpayer footing a monthly bill of Sh1 Billion to finance the lifestyle.

An exclusive report by The Standard revealed that the team of close to 5000 Chinese nationals move around in top of the range cars including Range Rovers, Toyota V8 and armored Mercedes van with some residing at the luxurious White Heights apartments in Lavington.

Due to the fact that the project enjoys government support, the Chinese nationals are untouchable and are accorded 24-hour surveillance with uniformed and non-uniformed armed police officers on guard and to provide escort.

Kenyan authorities are keen not to get in the way of the Chinese nationals so as not to be seen as part of those frustrating the project that forms part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy.

Of concern is that a large number of the Chinese nationals took up jobs that can be performed by Kenyan nationals.

An insider revealed to The Sunday Standard that the taxpayer is bearing an unnecessary burden claiming that there are “people whose job is to just buy internet for the office. There are also secretaries and individuals whose job is just to stamp passports, manage cars or act as store keepers”.

Reports indicate that they have gone ahead to create a little ‘Chinese empire’ in Kenya where locals are harassed, subjected to poor working conditions, paid less for the same job and racism thrives.

In sharp contrast, Kenyan employees live in constant fear of losing their jobs with a long line of Chinese nationals on stand-by to take over their jobs. As at this month, the standard reported that a list of 168 Chinese nationals had applied for permits to join the team at the SGR.

Reports indicate that Kenyan employees are almost a quarter of what their Chinese counterparts earn for the same job and can barely afford a decent life, let alone the comfort and luxury that the foreigners have, all at the expense of the Kenyan tax payer.

janet ndila