Angry Workers Beat Up Two Asian Bosses.

Two managers of Krystalline company in Magarini escaped death narrowly after being attacked by four angry casual labourers. The labourers complained about alleged arbitrary deductions from their wages and being dismissed from employment. Khiwinji Khundora, 40, suffered was injured on the head and other areas of the body while Naunji Versani also suffered injuries on the body. The two were attacked by the labourers at the company's Ganjoni premises.

Tension was high in the area after other workers joined the two dismissed colleagues in the protest saying
their rights had been abused by the company.

An employee who declined to be named said trouble started when the two were suspended and new workers hired in their place. He said that although the two had been given notice to leave employment at the end of June, they were angered when new workers were hired. "They confronted the managers and demanded to be allowed to work failure to which things would turn ugly. After an exchange of words the dismissed workers turned on the managers attacking them," said the worker at Dr Rakesh private hospital in Malindi town.

A company driver said he was forced to use a longer route through Ngomeni on his way to Malindi to pick up schoolchildren as the roads were blocked by the demonstrators in the 4.30pm incident. Regular and Administration police officers from Malindi and Gongoni DO's office were called in to restore order.

Malindi deputy police chief Willy Simba said tension high and police were deployed to guard the area all night to ensure there were no further chaos. "We are going back to the ground to assess the situation but information we have is that tension is still high," he said.

The deputy OCPD said the workers claimed that their wages had been deducted without consultation. He said one of the managers was injured badly but both were treated and discharged. Simba said security personnel will remain in the area until normalcy was restored.

The controversy at the Krystalline company is not new. Workers there have previously gone on strike many times and engaged the police in running battles demanding improved salaries.