A recovery officer at predatory asset-financing firm Watu Credit remains confined in hospital after a road accident sustained while on duty left him with medical bills running into millions, exposing what colleagues describe as a cold corporate response from a company that reports massive profits across the region.
The staff member, according to colleagues, was involved in a serious accident while carrying out his duties for Watu Credit and later underwent surgery that resulted in a hospital bill running into millions of shillings, part of which was covered by medical insurance while a substantial balance remains unpaid.
The employee was medically cleared and discharged earlier this month but remains confined to the hospital after the outstanding bill was left unsettled, with colleagues saying repeated appeals to Watu Credit for support drew no response even though the accident occurred in the line of duty.
What has angered staff most is that, in the same period, the company issued small staff vouchers, a gesture many describe as painfully out of touch while a co-worker stays stranded in a hospital bed over an unpaid medical bill.
“Hi Nyakundi. Please highlight this on your Facebook wall anonymously. A recovery officer at Watu Credit, Martin, was recently involved in a serious accident while on duty. He underwent surgery, and the total hospital bill came to almost KSh 2 million. The medical insurance covered part of it, but the outstanding balance is still KSh 750,000. He was discharged on Monday, but he has been unable to leave the hospital because the bill has not been cleared. Despite Watu Credit publicly declaring billions in profit, the company has refused to assist him, even though the accident occurred in the course of his work. Shockingly, instead of supporting one of their own staff during a crisis, the company issued KSh 3,000 vouchers to employees—funds that could have helped clear Martin’s hospital bill. Please bring this to the public’s attention. Kindly hide my identity for safety reasons.”
Watu Credit runs a wide asset-financing business in Kenya and across several African markets through lease-to-own schemes for motorcycles, vehicles and smartphones.
As the injured staff member remains confined in hospital awaiting settlement of the bill, questions linger over how a firm that finances assets worth billions can fail to stand by an employee hurt while generating revenue for the company.
This publication has reviewed screenshots and internal communications that support the sequence of events described but opted not to publish the material in order to protect source anonymity and limit exposure to retaliation.
