Sweeping Streets, Begging for Pay: The Silent Suffering of Nakuru’s Casual Workers
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For the past four months, dozens of casual workers in Nakuru County’s Department of Environment have shown up to work diligently, sweeping the streets, clearing garbage, planting trees, and managing the county’s waste. But behind their worn-out gloves and faded overalls is a story of silent suffering. These workers haven’t received their salaries since February 2025.
This week, several of them confided in Nakuru Times, expressing frustration and despair. After months of waiting, they recently decided to raise the matter with their departmental director, hoping for answers or at least a timeline for payment.
But what they got instead was a dismissal.
“The director told us he doesn’t know where our salaries for February, March, and April went,” one of the workers said, visibly broken. “He told us not to bother him and that the governor is only aware of arrears for May and June.”
That one statement crushed whatever hope the workers had left. They felt betrayed by a system they’ve served loyally, even as they toiled under the hot sun and sometimes in the rain. Their pockets are empty, landlords are knocking, children are out of school, and still, they report to work every day.
“It feels like we are invisible,” said another casual. “Even the media wouldn’t have known our pain if we didn’t speak.”
Yet their cries come at a time when Nakuru County is not exactly broke.
According to government records, Nakuru received KSh 14.1 billion from the National Treasury for the 2024/2025 financial year. By the end of December 2024, the county had already received KSh 5.6 billion of that money, in addition to collecting over KSh 2.3 billion from local revenue and health facility improvement funds.
In that budget, KSh 552 million was allocated to pay salaries and wages across the county. Records indicate that KSh 246 million had already been spent by the end of the second quarter — enough to comfortably cover compensation for workers, including casuals.
So where did the money meant for the environment department go?
That’s the question many are now asking. But answers remain scarce. The workers say they’ve heard rumors that their wages may have been diverted, but they cannot confirm anything. All they know is that their families are suffering and no one seems to care.
To make matters worse, the county government appears more focused on political games. While workers remain unpaid, Members of the County Assembly are fully occupied with the impeachment of Deputy Speaker Ngware , a process that has consumed time, energy, and public funds.
“There is something deeply wrong when a government can afford to host foreign trips, sponsor political battles, and fund luxury, but can’t pay the people who sweep its streets,” said a local activist who has been following the story.
Civil society groups are now calling for an urgent audit of Nakuru’s salary payments and the county treasury’s operations. They argue that it is immoral, and possibly criminal, for a devolved unit to neglect its lowest-paid workers despite having the budget to pay them.
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