Youths litter road in Likoni in protest over unpaid NYS dues
Litter is strewn along the road in Likoni, Mombasa County on January 30, 2017. Youths working under the NYS programme threw garbage on the road protesting delayed payment of their dues. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- NYS Coast Region Commander Zacharia Mutua confirmed the youths had not been paid for the two-week work.
- Mr Mutua said there was a problem with mobile phone numbers for most of them.
- But he was quick to add that “some hired goons’’ and “politics’’ were also to blame for the protest.
Youths working under the National Youth Service (NYS) in Likoni, Mombasa County, Monday opted to litter the streets near the ferry area in protest over unpaid dues.
The youths have worked for the last two weeks, cleaning the stretch from the Likoni ferry area to Mtongwe every morning.
However, when they were not paid on Monday, they decided to litter the streets with garbage.
On Tuesday, the NYS Coast Region Commander Zacharia Mutua confirmed that the youths had not yet been paid for the two-week work.
“Yes, there has been that issue of non-payment and the youths are the ones who took part in that protest,’’ Mr Mutua told the Nation.
However, he was quick to add that “some hired goons’’ and “politics’’ were also to blame.
“We have about five wards in Likoni Constituency but the demonstration was only in Likoni Ward because of politics.
“Some of those who did that are not even enrolled in our programme but hired goons,” he said.
GARBAGE ON ROADS
The youths who were to start their third week of work decided to vent their frustrations early Monday morning by pouring garbage along the Likoni- Mtongwe road from the Shelly Beach junction all the way to Mtongwe junction.
“It is true that they have not been paid for the last two weeks and this is because most of them have wrong mobile phone and identification number details,” Mr Mutua said.
He told the Nation that without “the right’’ details and names it is hard for them to remit payment.
Mr Mutua explained that the anomaly was being corrected and payment for the work done had already started.
He added that this was not an isolated case in Likoni alone but a recurrent problem in Jomvu, Changamwe and Lunga Lunga where close to 3,000 youths have been enrolled in the NYS programme.
“You know these people are being paid through their mobile phones and their details are key. This is their third week and most of them will be paid today (Tuesday),” he said.
