Swahili Village Hit with $526,000 Fine in D.C. Wage Theft Settlement
Kenyan-owned dining establishment Swahili Village located near Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., has reached a significant settlement in a wage theft case brought by the city's attorney general's office.
The restaurant, along with its principals Kevin Onyona (founder and CEO) and Emad Shoeb (COO), has agreed to pay over half a million dollars to resolve allegations of labour law violations. This settlement, which includes restitution, penalties, and administrative fees, marks the largest of its kind since the D.C. Council empowered the attorney general's office to pursue such cases in 2017. The attorney general's office accused Swahili Village of engaging in an "egregious pattern of wage theft," alleging that the restaurant paid workers as little as $5 per hour (including tips), failed to provide overtime wages, withheld tips, and neglected to offer required sick leave.
These actions were deemed to violate D.C. labour laws. Many of the affected employees were people of colour including young African immigrants. As part of the settlement, Swahili Village must pay approximately $260,000 in restitution to 72 workers. Additionally, the restaurant will pay over $197,600 in penalties to the District and more than $69,000 to fund a claims administrator responsible for contacting eligible workers and distributing the owed money. Despite the settlement, Swahili Village, Onyona, and Shoeb have admitted no wrongdoing or liability.
The case against Swahili Village was filed in August of the previous year, with the attorney general's office alleging violations of multiple D.C. labour laws. The office claimed that these "egregious and systemic violations" had persisted for years, suggesting that wage theft and worker abuse were intentional business practices at the restaurant. Onyona, the chef-owner, has reluctantly agreed to the settlement to move past the issue and focus on his restaurant's future. He reveals that he would need to borrow money to fulfil the agreement's requirements and may have to reduce his current staff by approximately half, a decision he describes as difficult.
The original Swahili Village operated as a casual, 45-seat establishment adjacent to a gas station before expanding to a more upscale location on M Street NW in 2020. Onyona invested over $2 million to transform the former Vidalia restaurant into a luxurious dining experience, envisioning it as a premier destination for authentic Kenyan cuisine. The restaurant's grand opening was attended by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, the restaurant faced significant challenges shortly after its opening when D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser ordered the closure of indoor dining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unprepared for takeout or delivery services, Swahili Village saw its sales plummet dramatically. Unlike its Beltsville location, which received substantial government assistance during the pandemic, the D.C. Swahili Village did not receive any such aid. According to the US Department of Labour, the food services industry is known for having one of the highest instances of wage theft. In the 2023 fiscal year, the Wage and Hour Division recovered over $29 million owed to nearly 26,000 food service workers, marking the third-highest amount of back wages recovered in low-wage, high-violation industries.
As part of the settlement agreement, Swahili Village will be required to submit reports to the attorney general's office in the coming years, demonstrating its compliance with D.C. labour laws.
Comments (26)
Was this theft worth it jameni?
Greed! He boasted of opening 54 restaurants in all the States ...well..this is kind of a setback but his clientele Naijas will fund him some......
Mwenye hoteli (Swahili Village Restaurant) hii yaonekana kuwa yeye ni mwanaUDA halisi.
MKAPA
Make
Kenya
A
Paradise
Again
They will have to rob some more people to pay half a million dollars!!!
Sadly!
Don't despiar Bw. Kevin, at the end of this setback, Swahili village will rise again.
PPP Funds, Bank account, Ruto, or KENYA DiaSporans FUNDraiser can Help. And he Better escape Prison.🙏
@ ceneca wa Sifuna - no body said Onyona won’t rise again but he needs to stop stealing if at all he wants to ride again. Stop watering down this guy’s criminal tendencies. He just settled over a 1/2 million dollars for committing a crime. Old dogs never learn and most Kenyans like you have a habit of thinking corruption is an ok thing when committed by your tribesmen/women. Or a freaking mpango wa kando for that matter. BTW: who is the unfortunate “Sifuna” who just married a dummy???
Stay away (from the Corrupt😁) to Stay safe. *Or Could be His fellow KENYAns👹👺🤡🤬😡 threw Him under the Bus.
Men....I should have filed a Civil Legal Actions against this restaurant when I had a chance.....had I known Ruto the Hustler actually had a stake in that business.
I bought me some Mukimo to go on my way to Nova Scotia, Canada...and the damn thing was stale.
Had I known this what they been doing, shit...
Hmmm...so everyone can post except me
He will have to double down on overpricing his mediocre meals at Beltsville and Dupont Circle. I'm sure the AG has not stopped there investigating this dude, just saying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s22B7qZjDl8
This is how you deal with corrupt officials
In Kenya, this would be going on for another decade and then swept under the rug with zero compensation for the victims. As for rising again, sure but first pay up. Maybe he can ask Ruto for the cash, honor among thieves and all.
Corruption from EA brought closer to Washington D.C.
Wage stealing in not an uncommon accusation in the US. You will find that these were immigrants with no papers who needed a place wajisitiri, then some smart lawyer chanuad them. So now wapewe greencard.
But, I can tell you for free, he will not cough any of that. 1) Kevin and Swahili village are two separate entities 2) I am sure Swahili village is on its way to filing Bankruptcy!
Can't squeeze water out of a stone, can we? Nobody gets paid.
God bless the US!
He agreed to the settlement so it's not likely bankruptcy will solve his problem. Of Alex Jones couldn't do it, it's doubtful a less well known black person from Kenya can get away with it. One thing about American justice, it may be blind but it can distinguish race and ethnic origins. Just saying.
Nonsense @sereca Sifuna! You are now displaying your ignorance here trying to justify a theft. Wacha ujinga na ukubafu!
Ok, he can file for bankruptcy but a civil law suit will follow and he will still be forced to pay. Onyona is playing with fire that can easily send him to jail. Do you have shares with n the corrupt business??
There is always someone willing to walk all over you if you let them.Those Kenyans and other African immigrants thinking they were working for their fellow African found out the hard way .There no saviours in America just dogs.They need to come after everything he has since it was built on their sweat.
Dude thinks he's in Kenya 🙄
Ruto taught him how to con employees. So unfortunate! Where is his side girl fren @toto?
Unfortunately you can’t run business in America the Kenya way
Everything Ruto touches/steps on dies a natural death. Thieves have an affinity of attracting each other like in this case of two conmen.
Kenyans stop this corruption uchawi if you want to do clean business in America. You can’t bring magendo in American and expect not to be caught. Uncle Sam is not about to mess around with these Kenyan conmen.
Fatty meals just got really fatty in price to recoup the lost cash! Why did Onyona scam his hand to mouth employees beats any common sense logic! Hope the dude does not end up in jail for violating the federal labor laws!