On May 30, 2022, a disturbing incident of racial discrimination occurred at Kilimanjaro Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. A Kenyan woman, Gladys Nelly, and her friends were asked to leave the hotel because of their skin color.
The incident took place at the hotel's balcony, where the group had taken a table and were waiting for their menus. However, a waiter approached them and asked them to leave, citing that an Arab man and his 4-year-old daughter wanted to occupy the table.
When the group protested, the waiter's story changed, claiming that the Arab man had reserved the table by calling ahead. However, Gladys and her friends were not convinced, suspecting that the waiter was simply trying to accommodate the Arab man's preference.
As the situation escalated, the waiter became increasingly rude and yelled at the group, eventually calling the manager to ask them to leave. The manager claimed that the group had occupied the same table the previous day for 4 hours and had allegedly caused the hotel to lose customers.
Gladys and her friends had indeed spent Sh. 4,470 at the hotel the previous day, but they were not sitting for free. Despite this, they chose to leave the hotel to avoid causing a scene in front of the Arab man and his child.
Gladys' experience has sparked outrage and allegations of racial discrimination at Kilimanjaro Hotel. Her story serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles with racism and colorism in Kenya.
