"Kenyan workers say Chinese company won't let them go home" 12 March 2022

Every morning, 28-year-old Paul turns over to look at the face of his male colleague. He doesn’t need to jump out of his warm blankets and stretch from a long night’s sleep, because there is no bed. So he crawls about, spreads his bed sheet and tucks it into the wooden floor. He then folds his duvet neatly and places it on top of the mattress as you would place a pillow, which he doesn’t have. On the edge of his mattress, his shoes await him. [...]

He has done this since March 2020, as his employer, China Road and Bridge Corporation, refused to let him and his colleagues go home. His bosses, Paul (not his real name) discloses, fear that they will catch Covid-19 and spread it to them. He was home last in March 2020 just after the government announced the first case of Covid-19, but now he feels trapped. His situation is better, though, he says. He pities his colleagues who have wives and children.

“It all started in March 2020 when Covid-19 hit Kenya. We were told that the company will provide food and shelter for 21 days. Those who refused to stay were given leave until their contract expired, and they were not allowed back,” he says. [...]

Now, there are 19 of them with burdened hearts, working as clerks, cooks, cleaners, electricians and finance officers.

“We are paid well, get our salaries on time, but the only problem is the absence of freedom to go home and come back. Our families are not allowed to visit, and even if they did, they are not allowed inside.” [...]

On February 22, he and others were handed an eight-point employee conduct and work rules policy. It said employees living in apartments paid for by the company will need to receive consent from their bosses if they wish to leave the premises.

Failure to do so would lead to disciplinary action, and possibly summary dismissal. [...]