Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has blasted the Kenya Kwanza administration for neglecting the plight of workers, accusing the government of subjecting Kenyans to untold suffering and financial hardship.
In his message on Labour Day, Thursday May 1, Gachagua acknowledged the struggles faced by many workers, citing high living costs and reduced earnings.
“We know no Kenyan worker is happy,” Gachagua said, accusing the government of depleting workers’ payslips through over-taxation and mismanagement, while engaging in extravagant travel and political mobilisation at the expense of ordinary citizens.
"As we mark the 60th Labour Day celebration, the story of the Kenyan worker is the same; unspeakable pain, anguish, and utter frustration. We know no Kenyan worker is happy, and what to wish them such is only additional pain.
"The payslip has been raided for uncouth cause, cost of living skyrockets unbearably and zero money in circulation as the powers that be trot the globe using public resources while at home taxpayers money is used to bribe leaders and the public to attend public gatherings," he noted.
Despite the grim picture, the ex-DP sought to offer hope to Kenyan workers, assuring them that change was on the way.
“My message to the Kenyan workers as we mark Labour Day is that as they struggle to make ends meet, they should take comfort that this situation is not permanent,” he said.
He further pledged to continue fighting for economic reforms aimed at restoring financial dignity to the working class.
“I assure you that we are a team of patriotic men and women not sleeping, working on strategies to do away with misery, pain, and indignation; we shall restore the dignity of the payslip. God willing, we shall get there,” he said.
