School drop-out rates, crime and prostitution have risen in South Lake Naivasha following the closure of one of the largest flower farms in the area. After Karuturi flower farm was put under receivership and over 3,000 workers sent home, desperation and poverty has descended on the workers forcing many to turn into the vice.
The fate of more than 2,000 school-going kids remains unknown as their school that was run by the company is set to be closed starting next term. The most affected are candidates who are set to sit for their KCPE and KCSE exams in two months time and do not know who to turn to. According to a community leader, Elizabeth Odhiambo, majority of the former workers did not know what the future holds in store for them, thus have been forced to engage in prostitution.
Odhiambo said the workers were awaiting their terminal dues totalling Sh278m adding that some of the flower farms in the lakeside town have refused to employ them.
“This is a very sad situation because we are slowly turning South Lake region in Naivasha into a prostitution hub and we need government’s assistance to help fight this emerging trend”.
She said that many of the workers were going for days without food and challenged the courts and the liquidator to hasten their case.
Another worker Maureen Akinyi told of the suffering they have undergone since the company was put under receivership. She admitted that many of the female workers were engaging in negative acts ‘so as to feed’ their families as they did not have alternative.
Akinyi said young girls were also involved in the trade bringing to fore the sad situation the former workers were undergoing.
The sentiments were echoed by another worker Jane Akinyi who attributed the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area to the laying down of workers. She confirmed that their husbands were ‘even considerate’ of their woes and were letting them join the illegal trade.
“Sometimes we tell our husbands’ to bring food to the table and are not able to do that, so they give us permission to look for food ‘elsewhere,'” she said.
Akinyi on the other hand called on government’s intervention to help solve the current situation which she said was getting out of hand.
from Lifestyle – Mpasho News http://ift.tt/2bl2K6j
via Mpasho Lifestyle
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