Nakuru County Gov't concerned over job loss at flower farms

Nakuru County Government has expressed its concern over the rising cases of job losses in the flower farms in Naivasha in the last two months.

According to the county, this is a major blow to the national economy as the sector was among the leading revenue contributors and employer.

This emerged when the county embarked on the process of donating foodstuff to former flower farm workers in Naivasha who were laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 10,000 flower farms workers have either been sacked or sent on unpaid leave following the crisis caused by the pandemic.

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According to the Chief Officer for Disaster management Anne Njenga, over 500 families at Karagita in had Hell’s Gate ward received food relief from the County Government.

“The pandemic has had a major effect on flower farms in Naivasha with tens of workers laid off and the county is working with partners to support the affected families,” she said.

She said that majority of the beneficiaries were flower farm workers who were laid off after the international flower markets closed due to the lockdown in Europe.

“Others who were included in the aid were the elderly and persons living with disabilities, as well as families displaced by the rising waters of Lake Naivasha,” she said.

Njenga added that other areas set to benefit from the assistance were Olkaria and Malewa Westwards where more workers lived.

She emphasized that the aid targeted vulnerable groups, adding that strict measures had been taken to ensure only the needy get the food.

She also thanked charitable organizations like KenGen and EABL who had donated food to the County in support of the ongoing programme.

One of the sacked workers Simon Wafula said that they had undergone through untold suffering after they were laid off due to the pandemic.

He called on the government to support flower farms so that export of flowers could continue as many families relied on the sector.

“The pandemic has affected many families and left tens jobless and we thank the county government for coming to our rescue,” he said.

This was echoed by another worker Alfred Otieno who admitted that getting a meal for his family had been a major challenge since they were laid off.

Last week 1,700 families in Kihoto area received food aid from the County Government after their houses were submerged by water from Lake Naivasha.