Bakuli Foods Ltd, a Nairobi-based food processing company, is facing serious accusations from its former and current workers, who say they have been subjected to months of unpaid labour and broken promises.
Several employees have stepped forward, describing how the company continuously failed to pay their salaries on time, if at all, despite repeated verbal assurances from management.
What is most disturbing is the clear pattern of deception and delay that workers say has become part of the company’s way of operating, with no accountability in sight.
One former employee described how he worked for four months without receiving a single cent. He held on, month after month, waiting for the promised payment, only to finally give up and walk away.
Others he left behind are still holding onto false hope, believing that Bakuli Foods will someday honour its word. The emotional and financial toll this has taken on workers is devastating.
These are people who have families, rent to pay, children to feed yet they find themselves in a cycle of poverty created not by joblessness, but by an employer who refuses to pay what is owed.
According to testimonies, Bakuli Foods uses a predictable tactic. They give verbal promises and vague assurances that payment will come soon, asking employees to remain patient.
But those assurances rarely materialise. Workers have shared how they were constantly told, “Just wait a little longer,” or “You’ll be paid next week.” That week would come and go, and still nothing. Eventually, many left out of sheer desperation, with no salaries to show for months of hard work.
This is not a case of a single payroll delay. The complaints indicate a deep-rooted culture of non-payment and manipulation. Workers feel trapped by hope, only to be abandoned.
The situation raises serious questions about how such a company continues to operate freely in Nairobi without intervention from labour authorities.
Where is the Ministry of Labour? Where are the agencies responsible for protecting workers from exploitation?
It appears Bakuli Foods has been allowed to mistreat workers while the system looks away. The silence from the company is just as loud as the testimonies from its victims.
No official explanation, no effort to settle pending payments, no apology just quiet indifference. This lack of accountability suggests that the management at Bakuli Foods not only fails to respect its obligations but also fails to see the value of its own workers.
One of the affected employees, speaking to whistleblower Cyprian Nyakundi, revealed he is owed three months’ pay at Ksh 35,000 per month. That’s over Ksh 100,000 withheld by an employer with no shame in ignoring the debt.
This case should not be brushed aside. It reflects a broader issue affecting many Kenyan workers who remain vulnerable to exploitation due to weak enforcement of labour laws.
Bakuli Foods Ltd must be investigated. Authorities must act now, not just to recover the salaries owed, but to send a strong message to all companies that abuse of workers will not be tolerated.
This is not just about money it’s about dignity, justice, and the right to be treated fairly at work.
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