The Central Organization of Trade Unions has demanded the immediate deportation of a Chinese national filmed assaulting a Kenyan worker at TCM Mabati Factory in Eldoret.
The video, which spread widely online, shows the manager kicking and slapping the employee during an argument. The footage triggered public anger and renewed criticism of the treatment of Kenyan workers in foreign owned enterprises.
In a strongly worded statement to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the union said the incident amounted to a violation of the worker’s dignity and an unacceptable display of contempt toward local employees.
COTU added that allowing the manager to remain in the country would betray the trust Kenyan workers have placed in the ministry responsible for their protection.
The union urged the ministries of Interior and Labour to intensify monitoring and enforcement in factories and businesses run by foreign nationals.
According to COTU, the Eldoret case is not an isolated one but part of a pattern that reflects gaps in regulation and weak oversight.
Despite the public outcry, the assaulted worker said on Sunday that he had forgiven his supervisor and hoped to continue working at the factory.
In a separate video, he said that any future disagreements should be resolved through discussion and that he was willing to accept mistakes pointed out in a civil manner.
The incident comes days after the union raised similar concerns at the Export Processing Zone. In that case, a Chinese investor was accused of compelling Kenyan workers to sing Chinese songs at the start and end of their shifts and of verbally abusing a trade union official.
COTU said such behaviour reflects a deeper problem within some foreign owned enterprises and called for decisive action to protect Kenyan workers.
