There was drama at the Pyrethrum Processing Company (formerly Pyrethrum Board of Kenya) when employees blocked auctioneers who had attempted to seize properties over a Sh16 million debt the processor owes former workers.
Nasioki Auctioneers Company staff arrived at the premises to access its offices in a bid to recover the Sh16 million former employees who were retrenched are claiming.
However, employees resisted the auctioneers’ move, leading to drama that lasted more than 30 minutes as it degenerated to near physical fight.
Paul ole Yiaile, the director of the Nasioki Auctioneers who led the raid, said they were acting after the expiry of a court order issued on February 2 on behalf of 100 former employees.
While the employees said the visit was not known, the auctioneer maintained they had followed due process in undertaking the exercise, including serving the management of the struggling processor that owes growers Sh12 million for supplies dating back to June last year.
Benson Milimo, the lawyer representing the former workers, said the court had awarded the 100 retrenched employees more than Sh60 million in 2013. Mr Milimo said the firm had paid part of the money.
Managing director Paul Lolwerikoi had not responded to our calls and messages by the time of going to press. Attempts to revive pyrethrum farming has been frustrated by a growing debt that has pushed farmers into other crops.
The directorate of pyrethrum says the volumes of flowers supplied to the Nakuru-based processor has dropped from 390 tonnes in 2014 to 290 tonnes last year with projections for 2017 expected to dip further.
Andrew Osodo, the head of the directorate, says the debts had demoralised farmers who were looking for other ways to make ends meet.
“It has become hard to convince farmers to get back to the crop, especially now when the arrears have not been cleared,” said Mr Osodo said in an earlier interview.
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