Swahili Village, a Kenyan fine-dining restaurant located in Washington DC in the US has been ordered to pay Kshs 68.5 million($526,973) in restitution, penalties and other fees to settle a wage theft case.
The restaurant owned by Chef Kevin Onyona allegedly failed to pay overtime wages, distribute tips or provide sick leave for several years.
It was also alleged that the restaurant systematically stole wages and tips from 72 employees who worked as servers, hosts, food runners, bussers, and bartenders and violated multiple DC labor laws including provisions on overtime, minimum wage and worker tips.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb mandated by the US government to handle wage theft cases in DC termed the heist egregious and that it was not an accident but a business plan by Onyona and his chief operating officer Emad Shoeb.
Under the terms of this settlement, the court directed Swahili Village DC and Onyona to pay more than KShs 33.8 million ($260,000) to the 72 restaurant workers, and an additional KShs 33.87 million ($260,600) to fund the process to distribute worker compensation, and pay penalties to the District.
“It is unacceptable, and illegal, for businesses to steal from their hardworking employees, depriving them of the full benefits they have earned and are legally entitled to. Employers that do so are not only exploiting their workers but are gaining an unfair advantage over their competitors who play by the rules,” said Attorney General Shwalb.
“This is a significant win for dozens of Swahili Village workers who were mistreated and continues our office’s commitment to combatting wage theft in the District of Columbia,” he continued.
The vast majority of Swahili Village DC employees are people of color, including many young African immigrants.
As part of the agreement with the District, Swahili Village, Onyona and Shoeb admitted no wrongdoing or liability.
Onyona on his part agreed to the settlement to ease the load of legal fees fighting the case and to get back to running his restaurant.
The chef-owner told an international publication that he would have to borrow money to meet the obligations of the agreement and that he would also have to let go at least 20 employees, approximately half his current staff.
“I have to make some hard decisions now,” Onyona said. “It’s not really looking very good for me. I can tell you that.”
Onyona opened the restaurant in 2016 offering authentic East African cuisine and vibrant atmosphere. He later upscaled to a new location in 2020, strategically located close to the Embassy Row in Washington to offer fine-dining setting, sumptuous enough to attract well-heeled diners and diplomats alike.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta was in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony hailing him for bringing the taste of Kenya to the US.
