A Kenyan restaurant Swahili Village in Washington DC was ordered to pay Ksh68.6 million as the Gross Settlement Value in a wage theft case filed against the establishment.
The high-end restaurant serving Kenyan dishes was opened in 2020, after the owner expanded the eatery having run it in previous locations on a smaller scale.
According to the Court Ruling made at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Kenyan restaurant agreed to pay the settlement after being charged with failure to comply with the laws in regards to employee wages.
“In the Lawsuit, the District alleges that the restaurant failed to comply with the District’s tipped minimum wage, paid leave, and recordkeeping requirements, and further alleges that many of the current and former workers are entitled to various forms of relief,” read the court’s statement.
The case which was presented by the Attorney General’s office further stated that the organisation failed to maintain accurate records of employee payments and granting sick leaves.
Following these charges, Swahili Village was instructed to pay a claims administrator Ksh8.9 million ($69,000) which will be used to locate and settle money owed to former employees.
Interestingly this is the largest settlement case made against a restaurant since the D.C. Council granted the attorney general’s office the authority to bring wage theft cases in 2017.
However, Kevin Anyona, the owner of Swahili Village speaking to the Washington Post stated that while they agreed to settle the case, they did so albeit grudgingly.
The defendants have denied any wrongdoing in their response to the attorney general’s lawsuit.
“I have to make some hard decisions now,” the owner stated. “It’s not really looking very good for me. I can tell you that.”
Furthermore, according to the owner, the hefty penalty will cause the establishment to incur debt to cater to the settlement funds.
Additionally, the owner stated that he would have to let go “at least” 20 employees who make up approximately half his current staff.
Read the Original Article on https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
