A storm appears to be quietly brewing within Coca-Cola Beverages Kenya, Nairobi, where internal operations have come under sharp criticism from employees alleging rampant nepotism, unjust dismissals, and widespread abuse of labour rights.
While the company retains a globally respected brand name, insiders paint a picture of an increasingly toxic work environment marked by fear and job insecurity.
Reports suggest that a group of human resource officers and managers have effectively seized control of key administrative processes, creating a system where decisions, particularly around hiring and dismissals, are no longer merit-based.
Employees claim that numerous long-serving workers have had their fingerprint access abruptly disabled without explanation or due process, only to see their roles filled almost immediately by individuals with personal ties to those in management.
Multiple court cases are said to have been filed but the situation reportedly remains unchanged, as appeals to local leaders for intervention have not borne fruit.
The allegations further point to a deeply entrenched culture of favouritism and exploitation.
Some workers say they have served as casuals for over 15 years without formal recognition or employment benefits, a claim reportedly verifiable through payslips.
These long-term casuals allegedly live in daily uncertainty, unsure of when or why they might be dismissed, while watching the company absorb new hires who are often friends or relatives of senior staff.
Despite being a private entity, there are growing calls from within for regulatory scrutiny and public exposure, as more voices from inside the company urge action against what they describe as a broken and unjust internal system operating behind the mask of a world-renowned corporate brand.
They are calling on the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection to step in and investigate the claims, arguing that the company’s private status should not shield it from accountability.
Stakeholders are now watching closely to see whether any institutional mechanisms will be activated to safeguard the rights of workers who say they have been silenced, sidelined, and systematically pushed out by a management structure that appears answerable to no one.
“Hi Cyprian. I have decided to use a pseudonym for my job security. I work at Coca-Cola Beverages Kenya, Nairobi. The company itself is a crime scene. These are allegations you can easily confirm from the employees. The company was taken over by some HRs and managers who have turned it into a nightmare for the employees. People are carelessly dismissed, only for you to see their positions taken over by their relatives. These are things you can easily confirm. I can confidently tell you that almost 80% of the people in Coca-Cola are related, and this came after a wave of dismissals, where employees’ fingerprint access to the company was locally disabled without any proper procedures being followed. So, you show up at the gate and your access is disabled, and there’s nothing you can do. Court cases have piled up. Cyprian, no one knows about this because it’s a private entity. Coca-Cola is just a brand name, but internally it is totally rotten.”
Some employees have worked as casuals for over 15 years (we can confirm this with payslips). Do your homework and air this out. Some of us are just hanging in there, not knowing when we might be dismissed for no reason so they can bring in their people.
