Concerns are growing around the way Sasini PLC, a tea company operating along the border of Kericho and Nyamira counties, treats its employees.
Many workers, especially those working under contract as clerks and drivers, say the company is not following the terms of their agreements. They believe the company is exploiting them by making pay deductions that are not written in their contracts, and they feel they are being treated unfairly.
According to testimonies shared with Cyprian Is Nyakundi, employees at Sasini’s Kipkebe and Keritor estates and factories were promised a monthly salary of Ksh 35,000 in their contracts. However, instead of being paid that amount, their pay depends on how much green leaf they collect and whether the company approves the quality. When the company decides that the leaf is “poor” or “scorched,” deductions are made.
For poor leaf, Ksh 13 is deducted per kilogram, and for scorched leaf, Ksh 43.50 per kilogram. Workers say these deductions are not in the contracts they signed, and they are never given a proper explanation.
As a result, many contract workers end up with very little or no money at all at the end of the month. Some even say they receive payslips showing a negative balance, meaning they worked the whole month only to be told they owe the company.
This has made life very difficult for them. Despite being officially employed, they can’t afford food, rent, or school fees. Many have become demoralized and some have quit because they see no future in continuing with such unfair treatment.
One clerk, in a message sent to Cyprian Is Nyakundi, wrote, “Hi Cyprian. I had inboxed you on Facebook about breach of employment contract. See attached are parts of the contract and a payslip for a clerk. This happens across the company, forcing most people to go home with nil or negative salaries. It’s sad. Kindly assist to air this. We need to stop this impunity please.”
The same employee went on to describe how tribalism and nepotism affect route allocations. More privileged workers are given high-yield routes, while others are sent to areas with less green leaf, making it even harder to earn.
The situation has exposed what many see as a broken system that benefits only a few. Workers are calling for urgent help from labour officials and civil society to look into the company’s actions.
They want answers, transparency, and justice. Cyprian Is Nyakundi is now collecting similar complaints from other workers across agribusinesses to highlight these patterns of exploitation and fight for fair treatment. Those affected are encouraged to come forward and share their stories in confidence, so that the truth can no longer be ignored.
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