By Agnetta Okwemba
A local’s residents led non-governmental organization staff Sports for All in Kwale has accused the Australian Base Titanium mining company for terminating their contract verbally and refusing to pay their dues.
Since 2013 the organization has been working with Base Titanium by engaging locals within mining affected areas to educate school going children on issues of menstrual health hygiene, gender equality, drug abuse, early marriage, gender based violence, anti-bullying, anti-tribalism through games and sports.
Speaking to the media after demonstrating in Kinondo-Msambweni they said that the organization has been receiving Sh22 million annually to run its activities in Msambweni,Mrima Bwiti in LungaLunga and Likoni.
The amount was reduced to Sh13 million annually after former Base Titanium community manager Pius Kassim left the multinational company operating in Kwale in what the irate
One of the facilitators from Msambweni Mwanamisi Seif said that they were only told by word of mouth that their contract was coming to an end in June 2024 by Base Titanium community programs department officials wondering how a multinational company would operate in a village-like manner.
“The Company’s’ community affairs programs officers came to Gasi to talk to us and what they said was that we should accept to continue working because the company had a small budget for us without involving the Sports for All management. We refused because they were offering to pay us Sh15,000 without NHIF and NSSF. With sports for all even if we received a small amount but we were assured of medical cover and NSSF deduction,” she said.
She said the community program depart ment used divide and rule tactics to ensure their organization officials are not on good terms with its staff.
“We want our pending salaries amounting to Sh3 million of 2018 budget that was approved by the former manager Kassim Pius before his exit. We are also demanding Sh7 million so that we can serve the remaining months to December 2024 when the company will be closing,” he added.
Mwanamisi wondered why other contracted companies by Base Titanium were being given sendoff packages for serving in the last ten years including service providers while the community affairs department was denying them their rightful share.
Another official Emmanuel Mwanyundo said that the company officials have refused to let them have their office equipment.
“We are asking Denham Vickers, the company’s operations general manager, to look into the matter because he is the only person we have seen fight for the rights of communities on matters of employment. We want our organizations equipment so that we can apply for support from other companies and organization to help our community,” he said,
Some of the equipment he said are desk tops, files, printers and organizations private documents held in Base Titanium premises.
“We suspect that the community affairs department plans to go home with our equipment once the company closes down in December and we won’t allow that to happen. If the company cares about the community let them release our equipment immediately,” he warned.
The organization claims that there are plans by the company’s officials to hand over their activities to another organization that has association to some of the staff’s claims that were refuted by community programs manager Mwanaharusi Hamisi.
The organization manager Lorna Chebii took issue with tribalism claims saying the company officials in the community affairs department are embarrassing the international company.
“They told my staff that I am from up country and that is why they don’t want to release the equipment because I will run away. This is an organization’s property for God’s sake. They just need to change the way they operate,” she said but Mwanaharusi dismissed the claims as baseles.
She also wondered how international company officials were ignoring emails from an organization that has worked with them for over 10 years serving the community on its behalf.
“They don’t respond to emails. Imagine what an embarrassment to an international company like Base Titanium. They just need to change,” she said.
LungaLunga Sports for All organization representative Ali Rumba accused the community affairs department for embarrassing the mining company by running its affairs like a local joint.
“We just want our rights and that is all. Those sabotaging us being the community that Base is enjoying selling minerals from should get prepared. This is just the beginning,” he warned.
In a rejoinder Base Titanium Community Programs Manager Mwanaharusi Khamisi dismissed all allegations saying that they are baseless and hold no water.
She said that the issue of gratuity is out of the question since the staff were engaged by Sports For All and not Base Titanium directly and therefore not qualifying for the company’s benefits.
She said the organization had been informed about contract time coming to an end due to the company’s closure plans by December 2024.
“We told them about it and I even met them not once about the issue. Let us be truthful when we are speaking please,” she said.
Mwanaharusi said that Sports for All, just like other organizations running Base Titanium programs, had their engagement come to an end in June 2024.
“There is no Sh3 million and there is no Sh7 million as claimed and if it is there let us get the documentation of commitment,” she said.
She said that Sports For All has been receiving Sh1 million monthly for management activities but due to closure plans 99 per cent of activities even by company staff have been cut off.
On holding the organizations’ equipment and furniture, Mwanaharusi said that they are ready to deliver the equipment bought by Base Titanium to their new offices once they are ready.
“We can deliver all furniture to them but they should also know that some of the equipment belongs to the Little sport organization, if we give them all and little sports come back to claim what will we tell them? “she posed.
Mwanaharusi dismissed claims of tribalism in her office saying such utterance had no base at all.
“We have worked with them for many years and we were not tribal. Why now? How would it help us? Everything said is not true,” she said.
She also dismissed claims that her staff met Sports for All facilitators in Likoni and promised them Sh16,000 monthly up to December, Msambweni and LungaLunga to get Sh15,000.
This is despite the fact that sources privy to the meetings confirmed to media that they wanted to help the local facilitators to continue earning money until December when the company closes its business.
When asked why her department was dismissing contractors who worked with them from benefiting like other contractors for the sendoff packages by Base Titanium, Mwanaharusi said she could not speak for other departments.
The Sports for All demonstration came some weeks after Eco Safaris staff who handle garbage collection and hotel services for Base Titanium demonstrated threatening to paralyze services over the same issue.
Intervention by top company operation officials saw the matter brought to an end.
Last year the company’s’ security staff went on strike demanding payment increase backdated after realizing that the amount Base Titanium was releasing to their company was not given to them in exact figure.
They were later paid in arrears after intervention of company’s external affairs general manager Simon Wall and operation manager Denham Vickers.
