This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
Kenya's hospitality industry continues to grapple with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the luxury Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel set to send home the majority of its employees.
According to a memo dated June 9, 2020, from the hotel's managing director Roberto Simone, the decision was made due to the significant impact of the pandemic on the hotel's business, bringing much of the industry to a standstill.
Simone assured the affected workers that they will be paid their redundancy dues in accordance with the Employment Act, 2007 and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The hotel's human resource department has been instructed to contact the sacked employees.
As the Kenyan economy officially enters a recession, the move by Villa Rosa Kempinski is the latest in a series of job losses in the hospitality industry. In a similar case, the Norfork hotels sent home all its employees two weeks ago, citing reduced business, only to recall the redundancy notice after a court battle.
