KFC rubbishes reports of plans to lay off Kenyan workers over Gen Z protests

Global fast food franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has denied reports of laying off workers in Kenya due to the economic disruptions occasioned by the month-long anti-government demonstrations.

While taking to their social pages, KFC shot down a statement that had been doing rounds for the last two days, terming it fake while also clarifying that the food outlet was not planning to conduct any layoffs whatsoever.

According to the doctored statement, KFC had decided to take action due to the street turmoil which had made business difficult and provided the company with insurmountable challenges in its bid to run its Nairobi stores.

The fake statement read in part: "The ongoing protests in the city and other parts of the Country have significantly impacted our ability to conduct business."

"Despite our best efforts to navigate these challenges, the situation has resulted in considerable disruptions to our daily operations and has caused substantial financial strain on the company.

"After careful consideration and exhaustive exploration of all available options, we regret to inform you that the company will be implementing a round of layoffs."

Now, KFC has clarified the matter, adding that no such employee actions were in place.

"KFC is aware of the post relating to employee layoffs circulating on social media. We can confirm that this letter is indeed fake and that the alleged employee actions are not being taken by our Franchise Partner in Kenya," the franchise said in a statement.

KFC's supposed 'layoffs' are actually an irony considering that, at the onset of the nationwide protests, Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung'wah claimed that Gen Z protesters were a well-heeled group of young people arriving for protests in Ubers, shooting content with their iPhones and retreating to the nearest KFC for lunch.

The fake KFC statement started doing rounds just a week after Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura claimed that the nation had lost over Ksh.6 billion due to the wave of protests experienced in the past month.

"We cannot forget the business people who suffered losses worth billions of shillings as their businesses remained closed. We wish to empathise with them as they strive to recoup their lost incomes. Overall, the country has lost approximately Ksh.6 billion as a result of demonstrations, according to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)," he said.