Civil society groups and labour rights activists in Mombasa have called on the government to investigate allegations of workers’ mistreatment and unfair recruitment practices at Coast Bottlers.
The activists accuse the Coca-Cola franchise holder in the Coast region, accusing senior management of underpaying, intimidating and unlawfully dismissing local employees.
Speaking during a press briefing in Mombasa, representatives of the Coast Human Rights Network and the Capital Youth Caucus Association said they had received numerous complaints from Coast Bottlers employees alleging harassment, withheld payments and unfair labour practices, which they said amounted to a breach of the Employment Act and the Constitution.
Coast Human Rights Network official Michael Magaki said the organization had launched an investigation after workers approached them with grievances against the company’s leadership.
“We are sorry that Coca-Cola Bottlers management is engaging in malpractices with impunity, and it is this culture and cycle of impunity at Coca-Cola that we are addressing today,” said Magaki, who identified the company’s top two Coast-based executives as the individuals’ workers had raised complaints against.
He said some affected employees had moved to court to seek redress, and criticized trade unions, including the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), for what he termed a failure to intervene on workers’ behalf.
Capital Youth Caucus Association’s Evans Mumanyi raised concerns over the recruitment of foreign nationals into senior management roles, arguing that Kenya has sufficient trained personnel to run such operations locally.
“It does not mean that Kenya lacks professionals who can manage multinational companies such as Coca-Cola. We have competent and experienced Kenyans who can serve as chief executive officers and in other senior management positions,” Mumanyi said.
He called on the Directorate of Immigration Services to review work permits issued to expatriate staff at the company, and urged national government officials to look into the matter.
Mumanyi further claimed that several local Coca-Cola distributors in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Taita Taveta and Lamu counties had scaled down or halted operations following disputes with the company’s distribution arrangements, with some citing significant financial losses on delivery trucks purchased on loan.
He said unfair labour practices such as wrongful termination, delayed salaries and breach of labour agreements were becoming commonplace in the coastal region and called on companies to respect workers’ rights.
Activist Abel Omimi urged relevant government agencies, including police, to treat harassment complaints raised by workers with urgency, describing intimidation and coercion in the workplace as criminal offences under Kenyan law.
Margaret Kimbila, a mother whose children previously worked at the company, said their dismissal had affected her household’s ability to meet basic needs.
“My children used to work for that company and helped me pay rent. But right now, they have been thrown out and are unemployed,” she said, appealing for their reinstatement.
By Ramadhan Nassib and Kiptoo Vincent
