Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO) employees were yesterday dispersed by Police after they held protests threatening to evict their director from office.
They were later joined by members of the Kisumu county government workers’ union to demand for the resignation of the sitting MD, Mr David Onyango.
Customers who had turned up to pay their water bills or seek other services ended up scampering to safety during the morning scuffle.
Initially, the workers had converged at the City Hall, before marching along the street towards their offices. Police officers on standby at the entrance of Kiwasco offices tried to disperse the employees using teargas canisters.
Last week, the National Union of Water and Sewerage employees distanced itself from a planned strike by their members in Kisumu. The union released a statement indicating that it was consulting with its lawyers with a possibility of instituting contempt proceedings against Kisumu County Government Workers Union, accusing them of meddling in the affairs of their members in the region.
In a letter addressed to Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma by the National Union’s Secretary General Elijah Awach, the body vowed to resist any industrial action by their Kisumu members through the county government workers union.
The county government union had issued Mr Ranguma a seven day notice to act upon grievances raised against KIWASCO or else they disrupt the company’s services.
Mr. Awach pointed out that they are the right body to represent Kisumu employees having signed a recognition agreement in 2006.
He also said that the national body has a collective bargain agreement (CBA) with their Kisumu members signed and registered in September 2016.
He also accused the Kisumu County Government Workers union of trying to infringe on KIWASCO in 2016, leading to their registration with the employment and labor court in Kisumu and later obtaining a restraining order against them.
