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"id": 3133,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/3133/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Mututho",
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"speaker": {
"id": 97,
"legal_name": "John Michael Njenga Mututho",
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"content": "The other reason and I think hon. Members need to hear this; I will apologetically mention the name of the lady. A lady by the name Wanjiru was arrested last weekend and detained at Gilgil Police Station. Her crime was neglecting her children. Neighbours thought so. What they did not know was that Wanjiru is a single mother of four and she earns Kshs170 per day from one of the flower farms. So, when her children are crying because of food, they think she is neglecting them. The police took action and arrested Wanjiru and locked her up for neglecting children. I know and I can count them in 10,000, 15,000 and 30,000 workers. They are hearing this. They are in Naivasha now. There are workers who earn Kshs3,500 and Kshs3,700 and cannot afford sukuma wiki . They have to eat ugali with water with a bit of salt. This is a fact. The flower farmers know this and everybody knows this. It is easy to say that the minimum wage for farm workers is Kshs3,400 or Kshs3,500. However, in the farm, they get shelter, food, there is no transport, they get firewood and once in a while you give them about Kshs200 to go and buy panadol or malariaquine or whatever they need. That is a basic farm worker. However, when you are working in an industry like the flower farmers and you are paid Kshs3,700, and yet you have to get a house for yourself--- Like in the case of Naivasha, the minimum you can do is Kshs1,000. From there, you have to organize your school fees, medical and everything from that budget. If you look at the pay slips like the one for a very big farm called “ Bila Shaka Farm” you will find that the basic salary is Kshs5,000 and house allowance is Kshs1,500. At Aquila Farm, the basic salary is Kshs3,600 and the house allowance is Kshs1,500. Oserian are good, they pay a basic salary of Kshs8,722 and house allowance of Kshs1,500. That is already past the Kshs10,000 mark we are talking about plus free housing, transport and medical care. This is the case and yet they all deal with the same market. While we are still grappling with Kshs3,000, Kshs4, 000 or Kshs5, 000, I was in Israel last week. With the Chair’s permission, in Israel, we compete with them in the same market. Their salary is currently US$1,300 for a farm worker. That is the minimum you can pay and you must provide air conditioned rooms, free water, medical care, a washing machine and power. This is compulsory. The only thing they buy is food. If you calculate US$1,300, it is over Kshs100,000. Look at the case of Cecily Islands. It will work out to be the same. When we talk about the industry, they refer us to Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a very interesting country. They are our neighbours and we do not talk badly about our neighbours. They want our market but I was there too. If you look through the document, the flower farmers have been accused of retaining 97 per cent of the earnings abroad and, subsequently, the Government has banned individuals from owning foreign accounts. That is the Ethiopia that we are talking about. One of the companies there is Sher Agencies which are also domiciled in Naivasha. They are my friends and there is no such a danger of it going to Ethiopia. If it goes to Ethiopia, the conditions there will not be the same as Kenyan conditions. After lunch, Ethiopian workers have a siesta and may not wish to work in the afternoon. Many people are not interested in it because there are serious logistical problems. I travelled to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. I saw all those flower farms and also learnt how workers are treated. It is not out of rumours that I am saying this. I would like to invite the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare to visit people in Kabati in Naivasha Town at their appropriate time. They will see thousands of workers who sleep hungry and in cold. This is because they cannot afford to buy cooking gas. A 14- kilogramme cylinder is now retailing at Kshs3,700. How can a worker earning Kshs3,300 per month be able to buy it? This means over 100,000 workers will never use gas in their life time. Naivasha has a very fragile ecosystem. These workers will either use charcoal or firewood. We know very well that next year our Government will not allow use of paraffin in Kenya."
}