Protests rock SGR on Saturday morning [Photos]

janet ndila

July 14, 2018 2:37 PM

Police deployed to maintain security following the protests

A week after reports emerged of unfair treatment, harassment and racism against Kenyan workers at the Standard Gauge Railway, ran into fresh trouble with protests rocking the project on Saturday.

The protests were staged by Land owners and residents along the Twala corridor and Ongata Rongai who demanded for an immediate stop to the project, claiming it has disrupted their lives with the landowners yet to be paid long after the agreed deadline.

According to the landowners who were moved to pave way for the project, they were to be paid within two months. However, three months down the line, this promise is yet to be fulfilled.

Reports indicate that a recent report revealed that the taxpayer lost 4 Billion shillings in land compensation, with some land owners still yet to receive their cash.

A contingent of police officers were deployed to maintain security even as the residents engage with authorities to address their concerns.

Last week the project made headlines for the wrong reason after claims emerged that Kenyan employees at the project are subjected to racism, discrimination, unfair working conditions and harassment.

The claims saw the government move in swiftly in a bid to correct the situation with a raft of far-reaching recommendations even as the public questioned why things had to reach that low before action from the government.

Conservationists on the other hand were alarmed by the reports in a local daily that 2 lions and 5 buffaloes have so far been killed by the trains whose sensors are reportedly not functioning.

janet ndila