Growing unrest is reportedly simmering among staff at Chandarana Food Plus Supermarkets over a proposed shift to a retirement-linked insurance scheme being quietly rolled out across branches under the guidance of the newly appointed Human Resource Manager, Mr. William Nyairo.
Sources from within the supermarket chain say employees have been caught off guard by an internal campaign pushing all staff to sign up for a pension product managed by GA Insurance, a company many had not previously dealt with, nor been formally briefed on in any capacity that would allow for informed decision-making.
Reports from various branches suggest that staff are being encouraged, and in some cases, subtly pressured, to adopt the new policy through top-down communications, with emails and direct messages being sent to shop stewards and line-level workers, advising them to expect forms for immediate registration.
These efforts, insiders allege, are being carried out without any broad consultations, Q&A sessions, or financial breakdowns explaining what the insurance covers, how the funds will be managed, or what guarantees exist around payout timelines.
The most unsettling aspect for many appears to be the stipulation that access to benefits will only be available after the age of 55.
This clause has triggered fears among junior and mid-career staff who worry about the lock-in period and the lack of assurance about returns on their contributions.
Adding to the tension is the broader feeling among employees that their right to make voluntary financial decisions is being undermined by what appears to be a centrally coordinated effort to fast-track mass enrollment without transparent deliberation.
Some are now questioning how an employer can commit workers’ personal earnings to long-term schemes without their full buy-in or credible financial education, especially in a sector where job security is often unpredictable.
“Hello Mr. Nyakundi. I am currently at work but things are not good here at Chandarana. If you can, please look further into what is happening so that we can bring proper attention to it, because there are serious matters regarding GA Insurance which we are being forced to join. There has been growing frustration, especially since several issues were recently brought up in the Senate by Senator Sifuna. It is not acceptable that a few people can decide on behalf of over 2,000 staff members how we should be enrolled into GA Insurance, where we are told that we shall only access our services or benefits after retirement, at the age of 55 years and above. This is after the money has not even generated any profits. Nobody knows anything concrete about this insurance, whether it is reliable or whether it offers a secure future. There is no sufficient information being shared. The main question is: why is Mr. William Nyairo, who is the newly appointed Human Resources Manager, pushing this idea so aggressively by sending shop stewards from every branch to convince employees that forms are coming and that we are expected to sign and accept the agreement? At the same time, emails are being sent to all branches without any consultations with the staff. Where are the rights and freedoms of choice? Even if we do not deserve recognition for our loyalty to the company, how can you hold someone’s money for all those years simply because of a binding agreement? Fifty-five years is a long time.”
With the matter already having surfaced briefly in Senate debate through Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, discontent within Chandarana is no longer just a whisper in the aisles but quickly becoming a shared sentiment among hundreds of workers who believe the very systems that should be protecting their futures are being used to bind them into obligations they neither initiated nor endorsed.
In his address to the Senate Chamber on Tuesday, 22nd July 2025, Sifuna formally sought a statement from the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare regarding what he described as deeply troubling allegations of mistreatment, harassment, and even racial discrimination at Chandarana-Foodplus branches, naming the Diani outlet as a case in point.
He described receiving direct reports of unlawful contract terminations and exploitative employment practices, which he argued were symptomatic of a broader corporate culture that disregards worker dignity.
Framing the issue as part of a national moral failing, Sifuna decried the idea that economic growth could be achieved while the very workers tasked with driving it remain unprotected, unrecognized, and unheard.
His words, now echoing beyond Senate walls, have added fuel to growing unrest among staff across multiple branches, many of whom feel their lived reality is finally finding space on the national agenda.
It is now up to institutions such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), the Kenya Union of Commercial, Food and Allied Workers (KUCFAW), and the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) to determine whether this employer-led rollout aligns with national employment standards, ethical labour relations, and the financial rights of employees.
