This archive report was first published on 5 January 2022.
January 5, 2022
The British Council, a UK government agency responsible for promoting cultural relations, has confirmed an investigation into allegations of racism and discrimination against past and current Kenyan staff.
The probe follows an anonymous letter sent to the organization in July 2021, claiming that senior white executives had predominantly discriminated against Kenyan staff during a redundancy process.
According to the British Council, the agency received the anonymous letter in July 2021 and initiated an investigation in August 2021. The investigation is ongoing, and the agency is keeping avenues of engagement open with the author of the letter.
However, the author of the letter has not been willing to be interviewed and has not yet provided evidence in support of the allegations.
The allegations come amid cuts in central government funding for the British Council and a shortfall of income related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The British Council has robust internal mechanisms for addressing concerns and grievances on discrimination, racism, bullying, and harassment. The agency claims to be an equal opportunity employer, with 98 percent of staff in the Kenya office being locally appointed.
One of the complainants who was made redundant said he would not cooperate with the inquiry because it was too narrow in scope to include earlier allegations.
