Over 700 employees of Raiply company in Eldoret blocked the main Uganda Highway in protest against delayed salary payments. The workers are demanding their overdue April salaries and other arrears totaling more than Sh40 million. Raiply, owned by the Rai family who also lease Nzoia Sugar Company in Bungoma, has been under pressure from the workers to clear the outstanding payments.
The protest took place outside the company gate and attracted support from Kiplombe area MCA Gilbert Lagat, who criticized the management for neglecting workers’ welfare and blocking his attempts to engage in dialogue. Lagat highlighted the impact of delayed payments on workers’ families, with some children unable to attend school due to the financial strain.
Workers’ representatives, including Benson Masaki, George Ouko, Robert Ongare, and Enock Abas, said they have had to protest monthly to push for their dues, adding that compensation claims for retired, injured, and deceased workers remain unpaid. The company issued a memo promising to pay the April salaries by May 29, 2025, and assured efforts to maintain raw material supplies to avoid disrupting production. Despite this, the workers emphasized that their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requires salaries to be paid by the 2nd of each month.
