Prolonged financial uncertainty, institutional silence, and leadership failures have created a deeply unsustainable working environment at the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK), where a growing sense of despair appears to be spreading among staff.
More than six months have reportedly passed since employees last received their salaries, a delay that has not only depleted personal savings but also driven many into unmanageable debt through Saccos and private lenders.
Despite the continued deduction of statutory contributions and Sacco payments from payslips, workers claim these remittances are no longer reaching their intended destinations, resulting in heavy penalties, wrecked credit standings, and overwhelming emotional distress for employees across the country.
Beyond the salary crisis, workers have also pointed to broader, systemic rot within the corporation’s leadership.
The current CEO, John Tonui, along with several department heads, is described as lacking the strategic foresight and operational competence required to steer the institution through even the most basic service functions.
Core departments like customer service, mail handling, and logistics are reportedly dysfunctional, weighed down by low morale, broken communication chains, and a vacuum of leadership.
Discontent is also being voiced over what insiders describe as irregular procurement processes, backdoor deals, and rampant mismanagement, especially within the Postliner Bus division, a key revenue-generating arm of the parastatal.
According to a detailed and impassioned message shared by an affected employee, this situation reflects not just individual suffering but a broader institutional failure.
“Hi Cyprian. Kindly hide my identity.🙏 We as Posta staff are suffering and it’s time we speak up. Kindly tag along other influencers to raise our unheard voices.
Crisis at Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK)
The Postal Corporation of Kenya is sinking fast and no one is speaking up.
We have not been paid since February 2025. That is more than six months of financial agony. We are sinking into debt from Saccos, especially Teleposta Sacco, with crazy interest and penalties caused by non remittance of salary and statutory deductions. We are also falling into despair due to other private debts, yet the management remains silent and indifferent. We barely meet our basic needs.
Where is COTU and COWU? The supposed worker unions are conspicuously missing in action, yet they collect our deductions every month without fail. There are no press statements, no protests, just empty talks and hope. But hope does not bring food to the table. The betrayal of silence is deafening.
Incompetence at the top. The current CEO John Tonui and most department heads are ill equipped to lead. Strategic vision is non existent. Operations have stalled and even basic functions like customer service, mail handling and logistics are broken because of poor leadership and demotivated staff. We demand that the incompetent, clueless and arrogant CEO resigns and be investigated.
Opaque and irregular procurement. Contracts are awarded without transparency. Who is benefiting from these backdoor deals? The head of procurement is one of the few active department heads with unending phone calls. Who is he calling? Why does he operate from the CEO’s office on a daily basis with streams of known cartels?
Corruption in the Postliner bus division. Millions are siphoned through irregular bookings, ghost trips and unchecked operational costs. A full forensic audit of the system and accounts is long overdue. The Postliner manager reports directly to the CEO without question. Why?
We call on investigative agencies, Parliament and the public to demand accountability.
Regards.”
