Rift Valley Railways Workers Cry Foul After Management Disappears

The row between Kenya railways and Rift Valley Railways is far from over even with the agreement to terminate the 25 year concession contract after only 10 years.

The workers of the Rift Valley Railways are now stranded after being left in the cold.They say that in 2006 they were transferred to the Rift Valley Railways from the Kenya Railways Corporation. After the concession the court ruled that the Rift Valley Railways had been given thirty days to ensure a smooth transfer of the assets and workers back to the corporation.

The workers claim that this transition is yet to materialize. The Managing Director at Kenya Railways Mr. Atanas Maina has allegedly told the employees that they should apply for temporary positions in the corporation with contracts lasting for only six months.The positions were advertised through internally, complete with a deadline.

Rift Valley Railways had in line with the ruling given issued transfer letters to the employees transferring them back to Kenya railways corporation. However the employees say that the management at Kenya railways say that Rift Valley railways ought to have terminated the workers and paid them their final dues.

The Kenya Railway Corporation had been in discussions with the Rift Valley Railways to try and resolve the issues that led the corporation to terminate the contract which mainly included unpaid dues by the Company.

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The Corporation had issued a statement to assure the employees that the transition would be smooth through a statement to The Star newspaper.

“We jointly wish to assure the employees, customers and stakeholders of our commitment to ensure a smooth transition and continued operations. We will continue providing regular updates and additional information as the process moves forward to its logical conclusion,” the statement read.

The employees are now worried of their fate after so many years of service to both the Corporation and the company.

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