Meru Residents Stage Protests After Being Locked Out of Jobs in Ruto Project

Timau protests
A screengrab collage of residents protesting discrimination in the hiring of affordable housing jobs in Timau Meru County on January 15, 2024.
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Residents in Timau, Meru County, took to the streets on Wednesday, January 15, protesting their exclusion from working in President William Ruto's flagship project, the Affordable Housing Project.

Speaking to the media, the protestors decried the site manager’s alleged ethnic bias when hiring, stating that the Meru Community was being discriminated against despite the law stipulating that locals receive the majority of the jobs available in any government project.

“You will not find any local resident at that site. On the days when most of us complain, he sets his people aside and hires some of us to pacify us and convince us there is no discrimination,” one of the protestors said of the site manager.

“We know the law directs that three-quarters or 70 per cent of the jobs are supposed to be offered to the local residents but if you look keenly, you will realise that not even 10 per cent of that has been met. The locals, who were previously hired, were all let go leaving only people from the other community.”

A construction site for affordable houses in Mombasa County near the Buxton Point Project.
A construction site for affordable houses in Mombasa County near the Buxton Point Project.
William Ruto

Apart from the tribal discrimination, they also noted that there was rampant corruption at the site, with hiring managers asking for bribes in exchange for jobs.

One alleged that there were more than five instances he could name where bribery was involved in the job procurement process.

“I started here as a metal worker and after a little while, the boss told me to give him a bribe to secure a job,” another protestor added.

A middle-aged woman also decried being sent away from selling her wares at the site and being informed that only young women were allowed to sell there even though none of that was evident.

The site agent, who was present at the scene, said that he had taken note of the complaints and would ensure they were all addressed.

"I have heard all your grievances and will look into them and change whatever we are able to, especially on the implementation of over 70 per cent locals. We cannot do rotations weekly because we need all people to gain skills and that takes time," he said.

When launching the affordable housing project, President William Ruto announced that he planned to create over 250,000 jobs annually through the project.

His ambition plan to have over one million new homeowners in the next five years is expected to be met by building between 50,000 to 70,000 affordable houses every year in Nairobi county alone. Slum dwellers will be given priority for ownership.

A representation of the affordable housing project.
A representation of the Boma Yangu affordable housing project units.
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Boma Yangu
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