KISUMU YOUTHS PROTEST ROAD CONSTRUCTION JOBS

Jan 15, 2015 William Adoyo Kisumu, National, News, Regional 0

The SBI Road Construction Company has been forced to close down their construction site after Kisumu youth protest road construction jobs.

They accused the company for ferrying drivers from Kericho construction site instead of employing local drivers.

The residents and local leaders engaged police in a running battle who lobbied teargas canisters to disperse them from the site at Tieng’re area in Kisumu West Constituency.

The incident forced the company to remove the construction machines from the site under tight security in fear that they might be set on fire.

One of the top company’s worker sustained serious injuries after he was attacked by the agitated youths. He was rushed to Aga Khan Hospital.

This comes barely a week after the company recruited 32 unskilled workers, 19 of them are local residents.

The National Government had mandated the company to expand the road from Kisumu International Airport to Kisian Area on the Kisumu – Busia Road.

Yazeel Yaghmour, the SBI Construction Manager said the seven and half road is the continuation of Kericho-Kisumu construction work and will take 10 months to complete.

Nyanza Regional Coordinator Francis Mutie and Kisumu West Sub-county Commissioner Edwin Chabari visited the area and called for calm as investigation is launched to determine the root course of the problem.

Mutie said that they will engage local leaders to address the issues raised by locals once and for all and waned those who are involve in denying youths those jobs will be dealt with accordingly.