Questions from the Crowd: Working conditions and employee rights at Rift Valley Roses

Flamingos at a lake.

In our Questions from the Crowd series, we address questions from crowdinvestors about our projects and business model in open blog articles. Got a question? Write to us here.

The following questions are regarding the 75 kWp solar system project for Rift Valley Roses flower farm in Kenya, which is currently being financed on our website.

The flower farm industry in Kenya is known for poor working conditions. What makes Rift Valley Roses different?

We value our employees very highly and work hard to ensure that they have rewarding, safe and fair working conditions. Below you can find more information about what life is like at the Rift Valley Roses (RVR) farm.

What is the gender balance at RVR?

The flower farm employs 420 people, of which 40% are female and 60% are male. Women hold 60% of the supervisory positions.

What are the working conditions like?

Wages and working hours

RVR’s employees work 7.67 hours per day, 6 days a week. The security team work for 5 days a week. Overtime is paid for any extra time worked. Employees earn a base wage of KES 10,972 per month, which is above the industry average of KES 9,079. The government minimum wage is KES 6,615.

RVR employees also benefit from a well-designed PRP policy. This is a cash benefit in which employees are rewarded with a percentage of their basic pay as a bonus.

Food and water

Subsidized meals, tea and snacks are available employees during work. RVR also provides each employee with 20 litres of filtered water daily, which they can take home at no cost.

Employees at solar customer Rift Valley Roses.
Employees at solar customer Rift Valley Roses

What labour rights and support do RVR employees have?

Employee rights

The farm’s employees receive the following statutory benefits:

  • RVR pays 15% extra on top of each employee’s monthly wage as housing allowance, as the company does not have housing quarters on site.
  • Employees receive a monthly transport allowance of a minimum of KES 1200. Employees who arrive early in the morning and those who work later in the evening are provided with transport either to or from the flower farm’s premises.
  • Every employee is entitled to 24 working days as annual leave. They also receive a travelling allowance of KES 2,700. Those who have worked with the company for more than 5 years are entitled to annual leave of 26 working days.
  • Female employees are entitled to 90 days of paid maternity leave without forfeiting their annual leave.
  • Male employees are entitled to 14 paid days as paternity leave.

These termsare largely regulated by the Kenya Flower Council (KFC).

Healthcare support

RVR has a well-equipped farm clinic. Services at the clinic are provided at no cost.