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Kenya denies claims of racism by Chinese on SGR

While addressing the press on concerns of the discrimination of Kenyan workers by their Chinese counterparts, Government Spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said on Wednesday no formal complaint had been lodged on the matter/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 11 – The government has denied claims of racial discrimination of workers on the Standard Gauge Railway’s Madaraka Express train service as unfounded and ill-intended.

While addressing the press on concerns of the discrimination of Kenyan workers by their Chinese counterparts, Government Spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said on Wednesday no formal complaint had been lodged on the matter.

“Whereas the government is at hand to protect the individual rights and dignity of every Kenyan, the inward looking haki yetu (self-seeking) workplace culture has no place in the Madaraka Express, neither now, nor in future,” he said.

Kiraithe said SGR train services must be run with military precision to ensure seamless operations.

“We are now running about six trains daily; when you delay one of those for 30 minutes you cripple the entire system,” he observed.

Kiraithe accused unnamed persons of ganging up against the SGR project saying workers who collude with the “unfriendly forces” will be dismissed.

According to Kiraithe, the government was committed to the progressive absorption of Kenyan workers to senior roles in SRG train operations with the first phase scheduled for 2020 said to be on course.

He said more Kenyans will take up prominent roles in the running of the 609 kilometre-long railway infrastructure in 2022 with the ultimate handover from China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) by 2027.

“It would be very unfortunate if after the period is over we then go out to look for expatriates because we’re running multiple derailing, trains not coming on time, and them running out of fuel midway,” Kiraithe remarked.

“The staff members working with people against the SGR project will have no place in Madaraka Express because we are determined to build a human resource base that will ultimately take over the responsibility of manning the trains,” he added.

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The SGR currently employs close to 3,000 workers with over 1,600 of them being Kenyans.

Reports of Kenyan workers being mistreated by their Chinese counterparts who are projected to be about 870 appeared on the social media recently and subsequently picked up by the mainstream media this week.

The over 800 Chinese workers include some 400 enlisted by the CRBC on July 14 after a Madaraka Express train stalled in Kibwezi on July 13.

Kenyan workers quoted in various media publications reported unfair labour practices and racial discrimination, something that has sparked a heated debate.

The workers are also reported to be protesting a new secrecy code which they said was designed to muzzle them.

In his media briefing on Wednesday, Kiraithe however welcomed a proposal by the Central Organization of Trade Union’s Secretary General Francis Atwoli to have a labour officer monitor operations at the Madaraka Express Standard Gauge Railway train service to address the concerns.

Kiraithe however said the stationing of a labour officer to monitor activities at the modern rail will have to be done in accordance with the regulations set out by Kenya Railways Corporation.

“Atwoli’s proposal is one I’d consider sober but there’re issues which can be looked at through consultations with the responsible ministry. Having a labour officer will actually give us an opportunity to have a balanced view of things,” he said.

The Government Spokesperson defended the railway management for executing a code of secrecy saying the document would not in any way prejudice the rights of Kenyan workers.

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“A railway line is a critical infrastructure and a security installation for that matter. It would require a high level of discipline that most organizations – including airports – would require,” he said.

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