Workers at Panda Mart Galleria have raised fresh concerns over what they describe as an unfair payroll system, underpayments and difficulties getting clear answers from the human resource team, with employees claiming that some workers are being paid less than what they are due as others proceed on paid leave.

Panda Mart officially opened its second Kenyan outlet at Galleria Shopping Mall on May 1, 2025, making the branch just over a year old. Galleria Shopping Mall describes the outlet as a major retail store offering furniture, homeware, electronics, hardware, beauty products and other household goods.

According to a worker who contacted us, the human resource and recruitment agency managing staff at the branch, Pearl Space Management Limited, is at the centre of the dispute, with employees claiming that as staff members begin taking their accrued paid leave, the company has started paying some workers less and using the difference to meet the obligations of employees going on leave.

The raises serious questions about payroll administration because employees' ordinary salaries and legally due leave related payments should be calculated according to their individual employment arrangements rather than workers effectively carrying the cost of other employees' leave.

Pearl Space Management publicly describes itself as a Nairobi based provider of employment solutions, including staffing, compensation and benefits, performance management and employee relations, while a recruitment listing for the company specifically described responsibilities including accurate payroll management and compliance with labour laws.

That makes the allegations particularly important because the very services Pearl Space says it provides include the areas where workers are now claiming problems are occurring.

The complaint received ¶

“Good afternoon, Pearl space management limited, the human resource and recruitment agency that does staff management for panda mart is at it again. Panda mart Galleria is over a year old and staff have started going for paid leave. They are paying many working staff less, so that they can use that money to pay those going on leave. When you follow up, you are called rude and gaslit. When you show them evidence, they continue lying to you and taking you round in circles. Dealing with the HR and operations manager Brosnan Paul, is a nightmare. We know statuory government deductions and we know what is due. All of this is on top of all their other issues with not remitting SHA and Helb money. They do whatever they want because they know we are desperate and powerless and they probably have connections.”

The worker's central complaint is that employees believe they understand what they should be receiving, including statutory deductions and other amounts reflected in their employment arrangements, but are encountering resistance whenever they ask management to explain discrepancies in their pay.

The fact that workers are being paid less specifically because other employees are going on leave is particularly serious and should be capable of being verified through payroll records, payslips, leave records and the employment contracts governing the affected workers.

If employees who have worked the same number of hours and are subject to the same contractual terms are receiving different amounts, management should be able to provide a clear explanation showing whether the difference is caused by legitimate deductions, variations in working hours, leave calculations, statutory deductions or another lawful reason.

It should not require workers to repeatedly confront HR before they can understand how their own salaries were calculated.

The HR function itself is now under scrutiny ¶

The complaint specifically names Brosnan Paul, identified by the worker as the HR and operations manager, and accuses him of being difficult to deal with whenever employees raise salary concerns.

The allegation is not that HR should automatically agree with every complaint raised by workers, but that employees should be able to receive a clear explanation when they present evidence showing a discrepancy in their pay.

Pearl Space Management's own recruitment material for an HR Manager position stated that the company expected its HR function to manage payroll accurately, ensure compliance with labour laws and handle employee relations.

That makes the current complaint particularly straightforward to investigate because payroll records should establish whether the workers' claims are accurate.

If the employees have been paid correctly, the company can demonstrate that through payslips and payroll records. If there are errors, those errors can be corrected.

If statutory deductions were made but not remitted, the relevant records should reveal the problem.

The SHA and HELB allegations need verification ¶

The complainant has also alleged that the company has failed to remit SHA and HELB deductions, adding that the salary dispute is happening alongside previous concerns over statutory deductions.

Those are not minor administrative complaints because deductions made from an employee's salary for statutory or other authorised purposes should be properly accounted for and remitted to the relevant institutions.

The Social Health Authority should therefore verify any specific complaint concerning deductions made for SHA contributions and establish whether amounts deducted from affected workers were properly remitted.

Where HELB deductions have been made from salaries, the Higher Education Loans Board should likewise establish whether the amounts were transmitted as required.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, through the relevant labour officers, should examine the broader employment complaints, including the alleged underpayments, payroll discrepancies and treatment of employees who raise grievances.

This is part of a wider pattern in complaints from workers ¶

The Panda Mart complaint comes against a number of worker complaints previously brought forward involving alleged salary manipulation, delayed payments, statutory deductions and employees being afraid to challenge management.

Workers at Envirocare Cleaning Services, which was to provide cleaning services at Bunge Towers and other government buildings, complained that their July salaries had not been paid despite May and June salaries reportedly being paid at the beginning of July, while the complainant further alleged that workers were discouraged from approaching government officials because they feared management would retaliate against them.

At PADA Security, a worker said that guards were being paid as little as KSh8,000 to KSh10,000 despite clients allegedly paying substantially more for security services, while workers further claimed that SHA and NSSF contributions had stopped and that employees who questioned the issue risked dismissal.

Workers at Asyana Gardens also previously complained of salary problems, deductions and employment conditions, with one employee claiming that the agreed payment structure was not being followed and that only KSh2,961 had been credited without a payslip or clear explanation of deductions.

Paid leave should not become a payroll mystery ¶

The issue surrounding paid leave is particularly important because workers should be able to understand how their salaries are calculated when they take leave.

If some employees have accrued leave and are entitled to payment during that period, the employer and its HR provider should have a documented system showing how those payments are calculated, when they are made and which payroll account bears the cost.

The explanation should never be that other workers must effectively lose part of their salaries to finance somebody else's lawful entitlement.

The relevant authorities should now examine the records ¶

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection should investigate the complaints concerning alleged underpayments, payroll discrepancies, leave payments and the treatment of workers who raise grievances.

The Social Health Authority should verify whether any SHA deductions from the affected workers were properly remitted, while HELB should similarly confirm the status of any deductions made for loan repayment.

Where there are credible allegations of deliberate failure to remit statutory deductions, the relevant regulatory and enforcement agencies should establish who was responsible and whether any action is required.

The workers should also be able to obtain clear payslips showing their gross pay, deductions, net salary and the basis of any adjustment, because employees cannot meaningfully challenge payroll errors when the information required to understand the calculation is unavailable or unclear.

Are workers receiving the salaries stipulated in their contracts, are leave payments being correctly calculated, are statutory deductions being remitted, and can management provide employees with a clear explanation whenever there is a difference between what they expected and what they received?

Panda Mart and Pearl Space Management should address the allegations and provide the affected employees with a clear account of their salaries, leave payments and statutory deductions, while the relevant labour and statutory agencies should independently verify the records rather than allowing workers to remain trapped between an employer and an HR agency while their money is at stake.