Kenyan-Owned Swahili Village Restaurant Fights Labour Law Violation Claims
A popular restaurant in the US owned by a Kenyan entrepreneur is refuting claims that it has been unlawfully underpaying its employees at its Washington branch.
August saw Swahili Village face a wage theft lawsuit from a claimant represented by the District of Columbia Attorney General's Office, claiming that hundreds of restaurant staff were receiving pay below the rates set by the city. Founded and run by Kevin Onyona, Swahili Village manages three premises including a distinguished establishment in Maryland and two others in Washington DC and New Jersey. Being a favoured destination for dignitaries and diplomats, Swahili Village hosted President William Ruto during his recent US trip at its New Jersey outlet. Both CEO Kevin Onyona and COO Emad Shoeb are strongly refuting the allegations made by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
According to the lawsuit, the restaurant and its managers have consistently and intentionally dodged paying workers their rightful wages, tips, and benefits, contravening the fundamental wage, overtime, sick leave, and record-keeping regulations that all employers in the District are obligated to adhere to. The legal representatives of the accused have denied the allegations. The restaurant chain is undergoing a lawsuit involving the allegations of unfairly procuring workers' tips and withholding a significant fraction of this amount. They have also been accused of failing to provide overtime pay to workers who exceeded 40 hours in a work week, as well as neglecting to offer paid sick leave.
Kevin Onyona and Shoeb have disputed claims that Swahili Village DC, also known as the Consulate, is a District corporation and have emphasized that Swahili Village is a Maryland Limited liability company. Swahili Village DC, the restaurant's branch in Washington DC, began hiring staff in January 2020 in preparation for its opening in March of the same year. Unfortunately, the operation faced setbacks due to the Covid pandemic and only started to recover in 2021. Mr. Onyona departed from Kenya in 1999 to visit his girlfriend in the United States. Initially, he worked as a salesperson before eventually entering the hospitality industry.
The entrepreneurial Kenyan successfully launched the first Swahili Village restaurant in Beltsville, Maryland, in July 2016. Subsequently, he expanded the business into Washington DC and New Jersey. President Ruto expressed his admiration for the investment and extended his congratulations during his visit to the New Jersey outlet of the restaurant. The authenticity of the Kenyan cuisine made him feel as though he had been transported to Nairobi, creating a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Comments (72)
Anyona is disputing the charges...Much like a thief caught with stolen goods says"not guilty as charged".Evidence adduced will determine who the guilty party is.
He either unknowingly violated labor laws,or he ignored them.Some Kenyans who own healthcare business like nursing homes, in the past have been in trouble for assuming that an employee was,an independent worker.Hardly is the case here.Waiters are employees...It will be interesting to see his defense.
In my opinion,What is in Anoyana's favor,and probably has known it for"a minute", is that he would be subject to civil money penalty,and probably an injunction,if found guilty,but no jail term. Of course this option is better than a 6foot 5inch rugged " nigro" ,saying end over Africa,,,
Most Kenyans forget to drop off their shady characters in the Pacific Ocean before arriving to America. They tend to think they can get by with murders and so forth. They claim ignorance of laws when they are caught stealing or operating outside the set policies and procedures.
Then they will turn around and start claiming that they were prosecuted because they are blacker than coal. Those who have been prosecuted in Health Care, etc are now rotting in jail doing hard times. I hope the Restaurant owner learn a good lesson from the law suits. But again it might be too late for him.
ONYONA, Anyona, or Anoyana no Matter how You call Him: He Knew What he was Doing; hoping He won't be Caught. Shida? Hongo peke US nikuHonga maLawyers😇😇😇; not maKarao 👮👮👮.
Time to honga malawyers is before you open the business.From what Ihave read,and the pictures I have seen,this restaurant is not a hole in the wall...Which means he must have had some lawyering going on.
Some of us the fear of spending time in jail as someone's male-wife is a deterrent.Yeap ,alurid image of" bend over africa "is enough to give someone nightmares
Why do I feel like you telling the truth about Onyona? He was just greedy and thought those who worked for him were dummies. He know exactly what he was doing when he conned his employees. No one runs a business in America without knowing the rules.
The owner of the Restsurant is fighting the labor theft charges but he needs to realize America is not like back in Kenya where you steal and then go see Ruto to get appointed to the post of a CS.
The labor laws in America work differently and those investigating the claim(s) will definitely hold him accountable if at all he did cheat workers. Where there is smoke, fire may later start smoldering!
American Investigators follow the facts leads to wherever they may go. We will soon get to know exactly what went on back in the hot dish washing rooms, back in the kitchen with the cooks and what happened to the tips given to waiters and the bus boys. We will even get to know how the cash in the cash register was codified. Anyona is not off the hook yet with the American labor laws! Hope he does not end up wearing the orange suit in the distant future.
That's right...may be he is a wash wash guy ..ha ha
He knows the wash wash Ruto for sure! He could be the transacting guy, a conduit for Ruto in America!
Ruto would be the last person/guest I would want to visit my business because he is very corrupt and the entire world recognizes him as a colossal thief. He may have brought Onyona some bad Karma!
Which business do you own?Who are you to choose customers for others?
None of your business @lidaj what businesses I own! I manage my business with a precision of honesty and transparency! You can have a corrupt Ruto at your premises if you so wish because you lack moral compass. I personally do not dine and drink wine with thieves like you do!
And the first thing thing this businessman will say after being hit with huge punitive damages is "they did this time because I am an African".
He is a dirty African bustard!
Sooo.... they are not denying underpaying their employees?
Their argument is that they are being sued in the wrong jurisdiction??
Wake up Onyona! It does not matter where you stole from your employees - whether in hell or near heaven, you will be tried per American laws. Stop whining fella!
I was trying to figure out why this is important. If the law was broken in DC and he's doing business in DC, what would being a Maryland LLC change? If the DC laws are like Denver and if he stole from multiple employees as is alleged, this could get really expensive. A home health care worker in Denver recently won a judgement of over $830000 for wage theft. If I was him I'd be pleading out instead of taking a chance on a jury and making foolish arguments in the media.
A bloody African will not humble himself and negotiate for a less costly settlement. He will wait around until things get ugly and then he file for bankruptcy! Those Kenyans egging him on will split like a bat from hell once he is convicted.
My guess is that labor laws are federal laws,so they apply equally in every state,unlike state laws.
@Maxiley wacha viwu .the guy is doing very well and the good thing about his restaurants you get your money's worth, the food is good and the service .
So @ Maxiley I don't think you have the BALLS to even open a kiosk, so shut the front door .
And with "whose" money is he doing very well with ?
The “A Girl Toto” is quite assumption driven! She is just a flower girl with very little understanding of any business operations! She thinks every erected structure is a profitable business. Could be she is the business manager of Anyona’s restaurants and part of the scam to cheat workers; maybe!
What kind of nonsense is this you are saying here @girlToto? Just because you went to the Oyona’s restaurant and eat silly does not mean the set policies, procedures and laws should be violated. You don’t cheat your workers with pay and think you will get buy with it. @maxiley is very correct that the guy need to face the music, and I don’t think Maxiley even wants to go into a Restaurant dirty business! Maxiley is a full fledged Accountant in Tampa, Florida. They should hire @maxiley to audit Onyona’s books so he can tell him to stop conning hourly paid employees. He is making his clean money without cheating others! Onyona should do the right thing. Kenyans like you (Roto) want to flaunt everything to include the chic that screws you! Grow up wewe Toto damn it! You must be a kale who are used to stealing everything under their feet. Wacha ujinga Toto!
“A Girl Toto”! Why are you insulting Maxiley for speaking the truth? You are just sounding like a “monkey taken out of the bush (your backward Kenya) but still Carries your bush attitude” with you right there in Washington DC. You do not justify what is wrong with Onyona. The fact that you ate Onyona’s Bubuna (dick) at his restaurant does not mean that he should violate the US labor laws! Surely you are reasoning here like a kid or like the Toto that you certainly are!
Toto, your mind set here is exactly what makes folks like Trump call Africa a “shithole” country. Why do you think Maxiley is jealous of a guy who is running a restaurant?
The guy should be prosecuted if indeed he violated the law. That is why the laws are made to protected hard working and honest citizens! You sound dumb and idiotic cursing at Maxiley for saying the truth. Is he not entitled to his opinion?
Sad to say they were doing the same thing in their Maryland restaurant until the labor department came investigating. Taking %2 of the employees gratuity to pay credit cards fees and charging employees $10 weekly for silverware, glasses, and plates......shame on him
I praise,and condemn in equal measure.I dont know Onyona,and probably never will.If I do fine.I did not instigate,or level any charges against this fellow.What you are doing is referred to as employing adenium fallacy.
I am very comfortable,and happy with who Iam.I do not wish to be someone else.If you work hard and succeed,more power to you,and enjoy fruits of your labor,but do it within the legal frame work.And if you decide not to work hard,and you are happy with lack of 'fruits',that's fine as well.So I wish you success in all your endeavors.Should you succeed and get noticed by MWAKILISHI,I shall be one of those to congratulate you.Not all kenyans are jealous.All these earthly things shall remain here when we all check out.
To all those - (A Girl Toto, Seneca, etc) who chastised @maxiley for speaking the truth, well the man has come out of the woodwork breathing hell fire and swinging to y’all!
He is right; yes he is right! What do y’all say now? Y’all thought he will go into the hole once you through dead carcass to him! Nope, he has spoken out! Did you y’all hear what he said? He does not know who the hell Onyona is and he could care less as long Onyona is not stealing from the employing!!! Sweet!!
We have had several Kenyan women get bursted trafficking illegal drugs across the world. They hide in inside that big and hole as the travel across the world to get rich quickly. @Seneca, it is apparent that most women would support criminals and be part of the criminal enterprise as long as they are getting the money through unfair means. You sound like a person who would do that illegal stuff, instead of working hard to earn a living. Please stop insulting our Kenyan men who toil day and night working crazy jobs! It is all temporary! You should know better at your age lady!
Seneca is a life long CNA in Boston, Massachusetts! But she has the audacity to insult those Kenyans bussing restaurant tables without papers. What she is not telling us is that she paid that black American dude to process her immigration papers, and then divorced him once the process was completed! She is just another con woman. This woman is simply bitter because she is stuck in the cracks of the American dream!
I dont see anything maxiley said that should have you so riled. Probably maxiley saying -bend over africa- did not sit well with you if you are , Onyona's relative,or true friend.
Ithink you dont like maxiley for his objectivity.Many have said worst about Onyona.Why did you pick on max?Did he ask you out:}Girl?
No sane man would ask this ugly looking woman @Seneca out in Boston! She ain’t got any man in her life to koroga her Korogocho, and I don’t think @Maxiley wants that shit. She is just a Kinyangarika of girlyman looking chic.
A girl Toto, have you ever seen honest real big BALLS or are you just used to seeing and grabbing some smelly small balls!? You sure don’t want to grab @maxileys “BALLS” because they may be too big for your little hands! Shut your bick kid! You suck badly Toto!
I do not see anything @maxiley said that could be classified as “wivu” @ girlToto! As a matter of fact he is very kind in what he said! Did you asked him out on a date and he happen to turn you down? Shit happens sometimes but you got to see things in the right perspective.
Shame on you Kenyans filled with jealousy and puny brains for tearing down your own!
Mr. Onyona has achieved the American dream, that which many of you will never come near as you clean butts in retirement centers, waiting to lynch your own on mere allegations. Mzungu can always count on your short-sightedness to help them keep your kind down. Bure Kabisa.
FYI, Boston market and many other places have been accused of the same; 'underpaying' legal situations, and came out just fine. If you were an African immigrant with your legal papers, why the hell are you bussing tables?
These sound like greedy immigrants whom someone has misadvised that they can get papers by suing Mr. Onyona, after they went to him with green mucus running because they could not feed the products of their irresponsible intimacy activities or their villagers in the shithole nation.
Oh Lord, here comes the Devil! No body said Onyona has not ‘achieved’ the American dream! It is good he may have achieved the dream but he shouldn’t cheat those who work for him. Folks here are just saying the guy needs to operate a clean business and should treat his employees properly by paying them what they have sweated to earn! I cannot believe a CNA @ceneca in Massachusetts would come here to silence those who are advocating for the right of poor workers. Your Pune Luo mindset sucks bigly! Stop expounding on your old Luo mentality of corruption and entitlement here in America! Folks want to support a straight forward business regardless of who owns that business. A thief is a thief regardless of his background or origin. Keep your corruption mentality to your old self and go support your cheating brother from Kenya alone!
What you Macall it, @senegal or seneca shithead - is “bussing tables” not a job? At least those bussing tables are not stealing from any body! Bitch you came to America a conned a man into marriage, then dumped him after you got your stupid papers, and now you are twerking and bragging here that you got some damn papers that others do not have? You can do better that that cna job you are beHolden to since you got papers bigger! All you do is prostitute every where in Boston! You damn idiot! Nonsense you whore!
You are always blaming the Mzungu for your shortcomings, stupidity, and corruption whenever you go wrong! What’s wrong with you stupid monkey @cheneke?
“An African immigrant with legal papers bussing tables”! Kiss my big dick you nugu @Seneca! Where are you from you son of a bitch? You sound like a very spoiled Luo kid goddam it! You are a good example why I couldn’t get myself to vote for Raila in 2022! Watu wa majuu! Do you want us to go stealing and to do what is necessary to earn a fair living? Shetani wewe! Go to fucking hell!
@Seneca why support a person just because he is a Kenyan? The money he earned legally or illegally is his as are the charges brought against him. That is purely on him. I know of an individual in the DMV who started out, as you say, cleaning butts and now owns a business that cares for those that do need. The business has been viable for over 16 years. Would you knock this individual who employs people of different origins? Does being illegal mean you should be exploited? Mind you most states have laws that make no distinction between legal and illegal immigrants when it comes to wage theft. Lastly any job is worthy of respect. Do you know why they are working - to support a relative in Kenya, money for a down payment on property, help with tuition. Whatever the reason, it's arrogant to talk down to people because you think the job they do is beneath you.
Thank you @Seneca for supporting your own Kenyan fellow and supporting
@A girl Toto.
For all the Haters, you can hate Kevin all you want but he just opened a Third restaurant in New York/New Jersey ohh guess who opened it President Ruto despite him been a staunch supporter of Raila .
Kevin is a genius , a Masterpiece, pioneer whom all kenyans should look up to .very proud of him .
Surely women are from Mars or Jupiter! These two crooked women ( Seneca and GirlToto) are not getting the message! The two dummies seem to support someone who is allegedly accused of cheating his workers! Kelvin can open restaurants here on earth, hell or in the atmosphere but he must abide by labor laws. The two crooks make me quite sick to see them supporting the wrong behavior by Anyona. Surely there are a lot of ghetto Kenyans in America who think below per and certainly fail to understand the law.
So come low or high waters you silly women will support a cheater of other folks food serving tips to enrich himself just because he hails from Kenya? I guess he had to Chester his employees to buy some luxury goods! Kenyans and corruption are one and the same thing no matter where they are in this world. The low level IQ of these two women cerebrating bad behavior is seriously wanting! I do not get it!
You damn ass,but those condemning the criminal activity of your jaluo brother are supporting kenyans too-Good law abiding kenyans.You are in the minority because you are wrong.wake up girl,and clean your toto.Nigerians tell me toto is pxxsy.
Your reasoning ‘A Girl Toto’ makes Kenyan women look petty, greedy, generally silly, and out of touch with the moral aspects of life! This Kelvin you are talking about is not the only Kenyan in the diaspora to attain quantifiable levels of success in the diaspora. There are many other Kenyans (doctors, innovators, scientists, surgeons, legislators, entrepreneurs, pilots, etc) who have achieved great strides in all aspects of life but they do their thing quietly without arrogantly coming out to talk nonsense. Please refrain from telling others to look up to Kelvin after he has been accused of violating American Federal Labor Laws. He is not the kind of role model that most Kenyans need to look up to. Kelvin is a possible criminal if convicted for stealing his employees money! You really sound very uninformed and petty!
And by way I wish all this Haters should see Kevin's house then jealousy would make @ Maxiley and his buddies their Balls fall off.
You seem to be obsessed with what Onyona acquires.Does he own the house or the bank does,do you know?You are the one who is jealous.You tell us what you have,and let Onyona tell us what he has?The issue here has to do with a violation of labour laws.Do you know if he is guilty?Stop deflecting the issue.You related to him?
Bty you will be surprise to know how many kenyans Onyona dwarfs in wealth,but do not blow their trumpets,or let anyone blow it for them.And to top if off they do it legally...
Bitch Toto get off the high horse you tuchi! Why not talj about your own house? All you do is open your fat ugly legs to get spit on and that is why you got no life! Why are you attacking @maxiley for no specific reason(s)? Is he the only person who have contributed here? Stop your fucking nonsense!
A girl Toto! Sorry to tell you that your own mother failed you terribly! You really have no decency and manners! Now, besides attacking @maxiley, why are you bringing here the man’s other property! Why? You must feel very insecure about your personal accomplishments any where in this world! Do you really thing other Kenyans care about the size of Onyona’s house?
Wow !you are still attacking Maxiley after somehow respecting you despite your insults?Are you on some strange mind bending drug.Or are you fantasizing his manliness drilling and making you moan,and groan in ecstasy ?Is this sour grapes burning you lips both between you legs and where ever else...
Anyona could own Grand Cayman and most kenyans would give a hoot...remember that.
Commendable that he has a house - let's hope he doesn't lose it if he loses the lawsuit. I may not have this person's money, own a modest home(lots of equity though), drive a midsize sedan and have a child in college. What I don't have are any pending lawsuits that could result in bankruptcy or jail time. I am however comfortable and have no guilty conscience. Would you be jealous of someone in his shoes?