This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 21, 2019, Nakumatt's Mega City Branch in Kisumu was closed indefinitely, leaving the once-giant retailer with only five branches in the country.
The closure came as a shock to the 37 employees who were rendered jobless with immediate effect, with many expressing anger and frustration at the sudden move.
According to the employees, the retailer had not paid their three months' salary arrears, a situation that had been exacerbated by the slashing of their salaries in half earlier this year.
The employees claimed that the management of the Mega City Branch had alleged that Sh900,000 worth of Sketchers shoes had mysteriously disappeared, leading to the reduction in their salaries.
'There is no single day the store has been broken into, so the news of our salary being cut was absurd,' said a visibly angry employee, Julius Ochuka.
Employees had sacrificed themselves to survive on the reduced payments, hoping to be paid in full this month, but the closure of the branch has left them without a source of income.
