Workers at Nairobi-based food and beverage production facility, Kevian Kenya Limited, have expressed dissatisfaction with workplace conditions that they describe as inequitable and stressful, pointing to recent salary increases granted to supervisors, managers, operators, and quality controllers while production, loading, hygiene, and maintenance staff remained excluded, creating a pronounced sense of disparity and frustration among frontline employees who continue to perform essential operational duties in the manufacture of fruit juices, soft drinks, water, and other popular beverage products.
Staff further report that the Production Manager, identified, has implemented rigid Saturday work requirements that compel employees to remain on site for extended periods without prior scheduling or proper verification of overtime, with additional claims that submitted hours are often withheld from human resources or altered, leaving workers unable to confirm their rightful compensation and generating what they describe as a system of administrative exploitation within the operations of the company.
Employees have also raised grievances regarding meal break policies, stating that 20-minute lunch periods are routinely deducted as a full hour from their pay, with new deductions planned for tea or cocoa breaks, effectively reducing total remunerated working time while adding pressure to consume meals rapidly under strict supervision.
Below is what one affected staff member shared regarding the challenges they face daily, illustrating the extent of frustration and discontent among those responsible for the core operational functions of the company.
“Hello Cyprian. So about Kevian Kenya Limited. Just last month, they increased salaries for supervisors, managers, operators, and quality controllers, with some receiving up to a Ksh 10,000 increment. However, those in production, loading, hygiene, and maintenance were told they do not perform enough work to deserve a pay increase. The other issue is overtime payments. There is a production manager named Mbogo who has become so egocentric that he insists employees remain inside the company on Saturdays, meaning staff are required to report from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. In case new orders arrive, he instructs the security guards to prevent people from leaving, even though no work is being performed and employees spend the time on their phones. Regarding overtime, Mbogo often refuses to submit hours to HR, and in cases where he does, employees cannot confirm whether their hours are accurate, leaving them unable to verify rightful pay. He has also instructed employees to return to work after 7 p.m. on Saturdays, showing a lack of respect and authority. Previously, this same manager was caught taking a female employee’s belongings in the office, yet he was only given a one-month leave while the woman was dismissed. Another issue is lunch breaks. While most workplaces allow one hour, at Kevian employees are given only 20 minutes, and by the end of the day management deducts a full hour from pay. Staff are pressured to eat quickly due to limited time, and now there are plans to deduct an additional hour for breakfast or tea breaks, meaning actual paid working hours are reduced even further. These are the situations faced by employees at Kevian, all while earning a monthly salary of Ksh 17,000.”
