US Company Fires Kenyans Hired to Record Police Calls 

Undated photo of jobseekers sitting down
A photo of jobseekers waiting for an interview in Nairobi County on June, 18, 2019.
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Nairobi County Government

A number of Kenyans were rendered jobless after an American security alert mobile app terminated its contract with a company that had outsourced for the workers. 

Speaking to a US-based publication, Vice News on Friday, January 20, a section of the workers stated that they were notified of their contract terminations via email as they expressed their shock at the sudden news.

The Kenyan workers were tasked with listening to US police radio calls and transcribing them before being sent out as alerts to American citizens.

It was reported that the transcribed calls included shootings and missing person reports among others.

A woman using a laptop to study
A woman using a laptop to study
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Google photo

Some of the workers who sought anonymity indicated that the outsourcing company indicated that only a number of them would be recalled for future projects.

However, amidst controversy over the sudden move effected on January 6, reports of underpayments emerged even as the US company was put on the spot over the treatment of Kenyans.

According to Vice News, the workers were paid between Ksh186 to Ksh248 per hour.

An employee who spoke to the media company revealed that many complaints over the pay were not raised before many considered the pair considerably high.

However, it was noted that the money did not match the work that they were required to do.

“That is what being from a third-world country means I guess. It wasn’t much but it was more than what we would get here.

"So it was okay. But again, not enough for the work we used to put in,” the sources lamented.

When reached out for a response, senior officials at the outsourcing company declined to comment on the matter.

"We do not publicly discuss the details of the commercial relationships we have with our clients. Likewise, we do not publicly share private information about our workforce. We will respectfully decline to comment further," the official stated.

File image of Kenyan bank notes
File image of Kenyan bank notes
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