This archive report was first published on 6 October 2021.
October 6, 2021, marked a significant day for WPP Scangroup, a firm that has been struggling to stay afloat. The company has been at the center of controversy after replacing Kenyan workers with foreigners, sparking concerns over labor laws and regulations.
Member of National Assembly John Kiarie has taken the Cabinet Secretary for Labour, Simon Chelugui, to task over the matter. Kiarie has posed several questions to the Cabinet Secretary, including whether the company complies with labor laws and regulations, why the company has been replacing Kenyan staff with foreigners, and what measures the Ministry is taking against the leadership of the firm.
The company's actions have been met with widespread criticism, with many accusing it of engaging in unfair labor practices. The firm has been accused of replacing Kenyan staff with foreigners, including those from an Indian-based firm known as Mytie Monks, and placing local staff under strenuous working conditions.
WPP Scangroup has been in the news before, with its founder Bharat Thakrar resigning from the firm earlier this year due to mismanagement and sexual scandals. The company's behavior of replacing Kenyans with foreigners is not new, with a Kenyan-based international development firm, TripleLine, having done the same in the past.
Jason Hickel, a lecturer, has spoken out against the company's actions, stating that the devaluation of lives in the global South is a legacy of colonialism. He argues that the $1.90 line is part of a colonial ideology that sees people of color as cheap.
