Embu Postal Workers Strike Over Pay Delays

The disgruntled staff, who gathered outside the Embu branch premises, accused their employer of neglect and injustice, saying the prolonged delay had pushed them and their families into untold suffering. Many carried placards decrying the “five months of silence and suffering,” as they chanted slogans demanding fairness and dignity.

Embu Post Office Branch Communication Workers Union chairman, Joseph Rwanjau, led the protest, condemning the government for failing to address the plight of its employees. “These workers you are seeing here have gone for five months without pay. The last time they received a salary was in April. Since then, they have been struggling to survive,” he lamented.

Rwanjau said the situation had become unbearable, with some workers unable to afford basic necessities. He urged the government to release the pending Huduma funds so that salaries could be processed immediately. “This is a dire situation. We are public servants, yet we cannot feed our families or pay our bills,” he said.

The union leader painted a grim picture of the workers’ daily struggles, saying their children are suffering alongside them. “Imagine going to work every day, knowing you will not be paid. Our children ask us for food and school fees, and we have nothing to give them,” he said.

Another worker, Aaron Kamau, echoed Rwanjau’s sentiments, declaring that intimidation and threats will not silence their call for justice. “We will not be cowed. No salary means no work. It’s that simple,” he stated.

Kamau criticized the authorities for failing to communicate clearly about when the pending salaries would be settled. “We serve the nation diligently, yet the government seems to have forgotten us. All we want is what we have worked for,” he insisted.

Nyawira Mutugi, another employee, described the financial hardship as “inhuman and unacceptable.” She said most of them have been forced to borrow money just to survive, and even local shop owners have grown weary of lending them goods. “We owe everyone around us. Some of our shopkeepers now hide when they see us coming,” she said bitterly.

Mutugi further appealed to the government to show compassion to its workers. “We have rent, school fees, and medical bills to pay. How does the government expect us to survive with nothing?” she questioned.

The workers have vowed to maintain their protest until their pay is released.