Workers employed at the Chesumei Affordable Housing Project in Kapsabet, Nandi County, have taken to the streets to protest over delayed payment of their wages.
The workers staged demonstrations on Monday, August 24, after going for three weeks without receiving their salaries.
The protest briefly disrupted transport along the major roads passing through Kapsabet as the workers blocked parts of the highway using tyres and tree branches. Motorists travelling between Eldoret and Kapsabet towards Kisumu were among those affected.
Other travellers using the routes connecting Nandi to Vihiga and Kakamega, as well as the Kericho-Kapsabet road, also experienced delays.
The workers said they had not been paid for 21 days and expressed concern about how they would support themselves and their families.
They also raised concerns about the upcoming school opening, saying the delayed wages could make it difficult for parents to pay school fees and meet other family needs.
According to the workers, about KSh27 million had been set aside for wages under the project. They are now calling on President William Ruto to intervene and ensure that they receive their outstanding payments.
One of the protesters said the workers had stopped working because they wanted the government and the contractor to honour the agreement under which they were employed.
The workers are also accusing the contractor of failing to meet the terms of their employment agreement.
The affordable housing project is part of the government's wider plan to construct housing units across the country while creating employment opportunities for young people and other Kenyans.
The latest protest, however, highlights some of the challenges facing workers involved in such projects, particularly when payments are delayed.
Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has previously acknowledged that the government faces a major funding gap in completing affordable housing projects across the country. The government has said it needs significant additional funding to complete thousands of planned housing units.
For the Kapsabet workers, the immediate concern remains their unpaid wages.
They have called for urgent intervention to resolve the dispute and allow them to return to work after receiving their outstanding payments.
Authorities had not provided a detailed response to the workers' complaints by the time of the protest, leaving uncertainty over when the payments would be made.
The demonstration has also raised fresh questions about the management of affordable housing projects and whether workers are receiving their wages on time.
For now, the workers remain firm in their demand for payment as they wait for government officials and the contractor to address the issue.