Disturbing reports have emerged from inside Antex Kenya Manufacturing EPZ Limited, pulling back the curtain on what workers describe as a regime of exploitation, intimidation and deep-rooted corruption.
While the company presents itself as a modern textile powerhouse that produces suits and medical garments for export, voices from within paint a much darker reality. Whistleblowers expose corruption and intimidation at Antex Kenya Manufacturing EPZ Limited, with workers alleging underpayment and hiring based on bribes.
Behind the factory’s polished PR and ribbon-cutting ceremonies lies a daily grind marked by extreme underpayment, pay-to-play hiring, and retaliatory dismissals for anyone who dares to speak up.
Workers at the company’s Athi River facility say they have endured months of labour under exploitative conditions, with vague promises of contracts that never materialize. When employees question their wages, they face immediate dismissal, creating an atmosphere of fear. Sources also allege that getting a job at the factory often comes with a hidden cost, with workers reportedly asked to pay bribes to secure positions. The factory’s human resources officer is accused of creating a gender-based system, with women assigned to machine operator jobs and men to maintenance roles. Anyone who challenges this approach is quickly removed from their position. A whistleblower who reached out has called for immediate attention from the relevant authorities, urging an investigation into these troubling practices. While Antex Kenya continues to expand its footprint in the country's export garment sector, those on the ground are left grappling with uncertainty, fear, and exploitation, far removed from the glossy narratives used to promote the factory’s growth. "Hi Cyprian. Please hide my identity. I am writing to expose a very corrupt and inhumane Human Resource officer at a new textile factory in Athi River known as Antex. The factory started recruiting workers as from February this year. He has been underpaying workers as low as 400 shillings a day with false hopes that the contract is due soon. We have been patient for long and when you dare ask him why we are underpaid, you are fired instantly. Mind you, 70% or more of the workers inside paid 5K corruption money so as to get the opportunity. To curb any alterations, he only employed women as machine operators. Men are only in the maintenance department. His name is John. Kindly tag the responsible authorities.”