KEDA Ceramics
Over the past few weeks, the KEDA Ceramics Miwani factory in Kisumu has been at the center of growing allegations of labor rights violations, with workers repeatedly raising concerns over excessive working hours, withheld compensation, discrimination, and intimidation.
Employees continue to report 12-hour shifts where only 195 hours are recognized as standard working time, despite workers routinely clocking 225 hours per month.
Complaints of racial discrimination, physical mistreatment by supervisors, and a culture of fear also persist, with workers threatened with dismissal if they voice grievances.
Internal mechanisms for redress have repeatedly proven ineffective, as management allegedly dismisses complaints, citing the availability of desperate job seekers willing to accept the conditions.
Beyond labor violations, KEDA Ceramics has faced continued criticism from the local community.
Residents have consistently protested against road damage caused by the company’s heavy-duty vehicles and hiring practices that reportedly sideline Kisumu locals in favor of workers from outside the county.
Now, as ISO officials prepare to inspect the factory, employees claim that management is orchestrating a cover-up to misrepresent conditions.
According to insiders, workers have been instructed to wear branded T-shirts during the inspection, while a selected group has allegedly been coached to provide favorable testimonies about fair pay and working hours.
Specific employees have also been stationed along the inspection route, instructed to smile and remain silent to create a false impression of a well-run facility.
Employees have been warned that speaking to inspectors about actual conditions will result in termination.
A memo issued on 21 February 2025 instructs resident workers not to hang clothes outside between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM from 24 to 26 February 2025, in what workers believe is an effort to present a misleading image of neat and orderly living conditions.
The company has also constructed new dining structures to deceive inspectors into believing workers receive proper lunch breaks.
Employees have been ordered to eat in shifts in these areas, despite longstanding complaints that they are routinely denied breaks.
“Good evening Cyprian. It is quite sorrowful to text this but due to the urgency of the situation we must take action. I am a worker at KEDA Ceramics Miwani Kisumu and next week the ISO people will come to visit us to certify the company.
The HR knowing what they have done against our rights, they have come up with deception to help sell the name of the company to these people.
1. They have given us T-shirts which must be worn during these visitation days
2. They have trained some sellouts to speak and move along with them showing how well we are paid, we work for 8 hrs and have 4 hrs as overtime e.t.c
3. They have warned us that we should not talk and if we do, we will be laid off cause there is nothing we can do 4. They have given us a notice not to hang any clothes outside at the servant’s quarters during the daytime which I will back up with a Memo
5. Threats as always have been part of the system. Specific people will be placed on the process lines these people will walk along. Their work is to smile and keep quiet
6. They have built some buildings to help lie that we are always given lunch breaks and we are required to go there to eat in turns to help cover up that we are denied lunch breaks What great iniquity is this that a Blackman is happy to exploit his Blackman? Please post this out there so that ISO people will come prepared next week Monday on the lies laid,” a concerned worker, speaking anonymously, described the situation.
Workers are urging the ISO team to conduct an unannounced and impartial assessment rather than rely on the staged version presented by management.
They are also calling on the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) the National Assembly’s Labour Committee, and relevant county government labor offices to step in and launch a thorough investigation into the alleged violations.
They are also calling for urgent interventions, including independent audits of wage records, anonymous worker testimonies to protect whistleblowers, and enforcement of labor laws to ensure compliance with occupational safety standards.
Additionally, they want the Senate and the Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman) to probe management’s alleged coercion tactics and assess whether government agencies have failed in their oversight role.
Labor rights groups, civil society organizations, and international watchdogs are also being encouraged to apply pressure for accountability, with workers stressing the need for transparent, enforceable solutions rather than superficial inspections.
