Quickmart supermarket has suspended one of its managers at the Buruburu Branch following an alleged mistreatment incident reported by a customer.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 5, the company acknowledged the incident, apologized to the affected parties, and announced disciplinary action, including the suspension of the staff involved.
Quickmart said it had taken the matter seriously and was cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.
“Quickmart wishes to acknowledge the recent incident circulating on social media concerning a customer at our Buruburu branch. We want to assure our valued customers and the public that we are fully aware of the matter and are taking it very seriously,” the statement read.
The company expressed regret over the distress the incident caused and extended a public apology to the victims and anyone else disturbed by the events.
“Our foremost priority is the well-being and dignity of every customer who walks through our doors. We deeply regret the distress this incident has caused and we sincerely apologize to the affected customer and to everyone who feels let down by this experience,” the statement continued.
Quickmart said it does not tolerate any conduct that goes against its values and confirmed that it had immediately suspended the involved staff while a full investigation was launched.
“At Quickmart, our brand values are founded on respect, kindness, and integrity. We do not condone any behavior that undermines these principles. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we took immediate action by placing the staff involved on suspension while conducting a thorough investigation in collaboration with the relevant authorities,” the statement added.
The supermarket chain added that it was taking further steps, including staff training on proper conduct and customer service to ensure such incidents do not happen again,
“We are committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all our customers and staff. To this end, we regularly conduct training and seminars to uphold the highest standards of conduct and service,” the statement further read.
The company also said it had personally reached out to the victims and assured them of support and accountability.
“We have personally reached out to the affected customer to offer our heartfelt apologies, reassurance and support. We want everyone to know that their safety, dignity, and respect are at the core of everything we do at Quickmart,” the statement concluded.
The suspension comes after Kenyans online started calling for a boycott of the supermarket chain after a video of customers narrating an alleged assault surfaced.
The backlash gained momentum, with many demanding accountability and respect from the retail giant.
The pressure follows a video that made rounds on social media, where two customers narrated how a manager at a Buruburu branch of the supermarket abused them over a milk purchase.
In the video, the customers narrated that while at the milk deposit section, they didn’t find any teller and then decided to deposit milk for themselves. After depositing the milk, they went ahead to pay and were issued a receipt.
Moments after they left the supermarket, they were quickly summoned back and questioned as to why they had deposited the milk themselves.
The standoff quickly escalated into chaos and drama after the receipt was quickly grabbed by the manager and torn, and the two customers were accused of stealing 57 litres of milk.
That is when they were grabbed, taken to the storage unit, and beaten for allegedly depositing 57 litres of milk in a 2-litre bottle.
”We were very confused. The manager took us to the control unit and started beating both my brother and me. When I questioned why he was beating us, he refused to respond,” one of the customers explained.
The incident escalated into a police case, where the customers were taken to Buruburu Police Station but were not apprehended, as their father was already at the station reporting the incident.
Since then, it has been alleged that the manager has previously made arrests of customers and charged them with crimes.
