Employees at Nairobi-based distributor Anytime Limited are up in arms against the company’s management, claiming it has failed to pay salaries for several months, leaving staff across multiple departments, including sales and dispatch, struggling to meet basic living expenses, with some reporting that landlords have locked them out of their homes and that their repeated requests for remuneration have been met with dismissive or hostile responses.
Sources speaking on condition of anonymity further allege that the ongoing wage crisis has created severe operational disruptions, with teams tasked with fulfilling orders to hundreds of informal retailers across the country experiencing both logistical bottlenecks and personal hardship, and they warn that the situation could have long-term repercussions for the company’s ability to maintain trust with the retailers it serves, as well as its broader standing in the fast-moving consumer goods sector.
In their appeal, employees have singled out the company’s CEO and founder, Ashok Madala, as being directly responsible for the prolonged wage delays, alleging that despite repeated pleas and internal complaints, management has failed to provide any concrete timeline for salary payments or offer explanations for the growing backlog.
They describe a work environment marked by frustration and uncertainty, where teams across departments feel unsupported and abandoned, and where essential operations, including order fulfillment and dispatch, have slowed significantly due to the financial and emotional strain on staff.
Several sources claim that attempts to escalate the matter internally have been met with dismissive or hostile responses, leaving employees feeling powerless and compelled to seek intervention from higher authorities, including government labour offices and regulatory bodies, to address what they describe as an urgent and ongoing crisis.
They claim that those in the sales department have been the hardest hit, with some locked out of their homes by landlords due to rent arrears.
According to the employees, when they raise the issue with management, they are met with dismissive responses, including being told to “go to hell.”
The dispatch team is also said to be facing severe hardship, with some reportedly going without food as the salary delays drag on.
Staff further allege that the company’s leadership has “pocketed” influential figures in both national and county government, making it harder for their grievances to be addressed.
Their appeal concludes with a plea for the country’s leadership, including the president, to intervene in what they describe as an urgent humanitarian and labour crisis.
This latest controversy comes against the backdrop of a high-profile regulatory incident involving Anytime Limited and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) where between September and October 2024, a large consignment of long-grain rice (approximately 2 million kilograms) was imported from Pakistan by Gama Food Traders Ltd and shipped through the Port of Mombasa.
Upon arrival, the consignment was released without the required certificates of conformity at the port of entry.
Subsequent testing by KEBS revealed that samples from the shipment contained dangerously high levels of aflatoxin, measured at 11.54 parts per million, more than double the permissible limit of 5.0 ppm.
Around 23 tonnes was intercepted and seized at Anytime Ltd’s Nairobi warehouse, while millions of kilograms from the consignment had already entered the Kenyan market, raising concerns about potential public exposure to contaminated rice.
KEBS confirmed that the rice seized from the warehouse had deteriorated in quality during storage.
Employees now argue that the same lack of accountability that allowed the contaminated rice to linger in storage appears mirrored in the company’s treatment of its workforce, with delayed salaries and ignored complaints reflecting systemic neglect.
Staff morale, already fragile due to financial hardship, is said to have been further undermined by the dual pressures of meeting demanding operational targets while navigating an environment where essential support structures are absent.
Several employees describe a culture where voicing concerns is not only futile but often met with hostility, leaving teams feeling isolated at a time when coordinated effort is most needed.
The ripple effects of these internal struggles are apparent in day-to-day operations: order fulfillment has slowed, dispatch schedules have been disrupted, and the company’s ability to maintain reliable service for its network of retailers is being questioned.
Sources warn that if the wage delays continue unchecked, these operational inefficiencies could compound, potentially damaging Anytime Limited’s reputation and long-term viability.
“Hi Nyakundi. Kindly HIDE my ID. We are employees of Anytime Distributors and we want to remain anonymous. The company’s owner, Ashok Madala, who recently appeared on TV over selling items without KEBS conformity, has not paid our salaries for several months. Staff across multiple departments, including sales and dispatch, are struggling to meet basic living expenses. In the sales department, some of us have been locked out of our homes by landlords because we cannot pay rent. When we ask Ashok to pay us, he tells us to “go to hell.” The dispatch team is also suffering. Some of us are going without food because we have no salaries and no one is listening to our plight. We are working under extreme financial and emotional strain while trying to fulfill orders for hundreds of retailers across the country, but the lack of support is making it almost impossible. Attempts to escalate the matter internally are met with hostility or complete dismissal. Ashok has connections in both national and county government, which makes it extremely hard for our grievances to be addressed. We are watching our work environment collapse: order fulfillment has slowed, dispatch schedules are disrupted, and staff morale is at rock bottom. Many of us feel unsupported, abandoned, and powerless. We urgently need intervention. We are asking the president and government labour offices to step in and help us get our unpaid salaries and improve working conditions. This is not just a workplace issue but a humanitarian crisis.”
We will continue to follow up on the plight of Anytime Limited’s workers in the coming weeks, tracking whether salaries are paid and working conditions improve, as employees vow to keep speaking out until their grievances are addressed.
Are you a current or former employee of Anytime Limited who has faced similar challenges?
We urge you to confidentially speak out and share your experience through any of our social media platforms to help shed light on the full extent of the situation.
