Kenyan Who Owns a Swahili Village restaurant in USA fined Sh. 69 million for ‘stealing’ salaries
Kevin Onyona who owns and runs a Swahili village restaurant in Washington DC, has been ordered by the court to pay Sh. 68.6 million ($526,973) to reopen the business.
This settlement follows a lawsuit filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb in 2023. Schwalb alleged that Swahili Village violated Washington D.C. labor laws by failing to pay overtime wages, distribute tips, and provide the legally required paid sick leave.
Additionally, the restaurant faced accusations of stealing wages and tips from 72 employees, including servers, hosts, food runners, bussers, and bartenders.
As a result, Kevin Onyona and his partner Emad Shoeb will have to pay the amount to cover restitution, penalties, and other fees to settle the wage theft case.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb, in his lawsuit, described the Swahili Village case as an “egregious heist,” asserting that it was not accidental but rather a deliberate business plan orchestrated by Onyona and his COO, Emad Shoeb.
The court-ordered compensation will be allocated as follows: Sh. 33.8 million ($260,000) will be distributed among the 72 restaurant workers, and an additional Sh. 33.87 million ($260,600) will cover the costs of distributing worker compensation and paying penalties to Washington D.C.
“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,” A.G Schwalb stated.
“This is a significant win for dozens of Swahili Village workers who were mistreated and continues our office’s commitment to combating wage theft in the District of Columbia,” he added.
Sources familiar with the situation indicate that the majority of Swahili Village employees are people of color, specifically young immigrants.
As part of the settlement, Swahili Village owners Onyona and Shoeb did not admit any liability. The Kenyan owner agreed to resolve the case to minimize legal expenses and concentrate on managing his business.
