Staff complaints from within the Panari hospitality brand are widening, with fresh claims emerging from the group’s Nyahururu resort that point to deeper workplace and payroll challenges beyond earlier reports linked to its Nairobi hotel.
The new information, shared by a worker at Panari Resort Nyahururu, comes shortly after reports of delayed salaries at Panari Hotel Nairobi, a prominent four-star hotel located within the Panari Sky Centre along Mombasa Road, one of the country’s busiest transport corridors linking Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the capital.
Together, the two establishments form part of a high-profile hospitality chain recognised for its premium services, conference facilities, and headline attractions such as the indoor ice rink at the Nairobi complex and the luxury retreat setting near Thomson’s Falls in Nyahururu.
In the latest communication, employees continue to describe a strained working environment in Nyahururu, painting a picture of staff grappling with uncertainty over pay, statutory deductions, and internal welfare structures.
The message suggests that the situation may not be isolated to one branch, hinting at similar experiences across both locations within the brand.
This follows earlier public reports that first brought staff grievances within the brand into focus, adding fresh weight to the unfolding claims.
The claims come at a time when the hospitality sector in Kenya continues to recover and expand, driven by both domestic tourism and international arrivals, with established brands such as Panari maintaining a visible presence in the market.
This contrast between the brand’s polished public image and the experiences described by staff is now drawing attention from labour stakeholders and regulators responsible for enforcing employment standards, with growing focus on how worker pay and deductions are handled within the organization.
Part of the emerging narrative touches on deductions made from employee payslips, with workers questioning whether funds meant for statutory bodies such as the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Social Health Authority (SHA), as well as internal savings schemes, are being transmitted as required.
The report also points to a Sacco-related dispute involving staff savings, with workers claiming the organisation is in debt of about Ksh 20 million.
According to information submitted to nyakundireport.com, this situation has left members unable to access their funds after exiting the scheme, adding to growing frustration over payroll and welfare issues within the group.
The communication also references internal staff welfare mechanisms, suggesting that confidence among employees may be under strain.
There are also claims linked to employment terms, particularly for long-serving casual workers, alongside operational issues that touch on day-to-day staff welfare and presentation standards.
These elements, taken together, point to a workplace environment that employees describe as increasingly difficult to navigate.
The Nyahururu-based workers further signal frustration with internal communication channels, suggesting that attempts to seek clarification from management have not yielded satisfactory responses.
“Hello Cyprian. There is something I want to highlight. I work at Panari Resort Nyahururu, and the problems we are facing are extremely not okay. We had seen the post on Panari Nairobi on how salaries are being delayed, but they did not highlight everything that is going on. All is not in order in both hotels, Nyahururu and Nairobi. Our NSSF remittance has not been done since last year June, but it is being deducted from our payslips. When we ask, we are told not to worry. Our SHA remittance too is not being paid; it is always inactive. When we ask, we are told the company has cash flow issues, yet it is being deducted from our payslips. We had a Sacco (Panari Sacco); whatever we had saved there, it turns out the company was not remitting. The cheques— it is in debt of Ksh 20 million to the Sacco, and that has made them not give us back our money, with every member exiting from that particular Sacco. We have two Indian staff at Nyahururu, after whom everything has been chaos. Salaries are by chance. Till now, we have not been paid our March salaries, yet the company is making profit. The only person left to help us is our HR, who is the worst and so incompetent. When we inquire about these things from him, he responds with an attitude, making us feel victimized. It is that bad. Help us, bro, from this menace. I am speaking from a Nyahururu point of view. I do not know well about Nairobi, but since it is our sister hotel, I believe it is the same things. We have very long-serving casuals who have worked for the hotel for more than two years, and they never get contracts. Very bad. Simple things like uniforms are an issue to provide to staff, yet they want us to be presentable to our guests. The last time they did this was like two years ago.”
This adds another layer to the unfolding situation, where staff are not only speaking about financial strain but also about how grievances are handled internally.
As the situation unfolds, affected workers are now calling on the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the State Department for Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, and relevant agencies such as the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) to step in, review the claims and take action where necessary to safeguard employee rights.
Given Panari’s standing as a recognized hospitality brand, the emergence of parallel complaints from separate locations is likely to intensify attention on the company’s labour relations and internal management structures.
