Kenya, May 26 -- Sad news from Devyani Food Industries, the company that makes Daima Milk. A worker has died after being denied sick leave when his health worsened.

This worker was part of the quality control team and had been feeling unwell for a long time. He asked for medical leave several times to get treatment for a past surgery, but management denied his requests.

Eventually, he had to quit his job because his health got so bad, and he sadly died after that.

This incident comes after reports showed serious problems at Devyani, including low pay, lack of benefits, and unfair treatment when it comes to promotions.

Casual workers at the company are still only earning Ksh 380 a day, with no money for transport or regular lunch breaks. Workers say that this pay can be reduced if machines break down, which many think is unfair.

Employees have also reported that when they resign, their final salaries are sometimes not paid, reportedly because of the Chief Operating Officer's orders. They are asking the Ministry of Labour to look into these issues at Devyani Food Industries, as they believe the company regularly breaks labor laws.

Many workers have said that some of them have been working for years under temporary agency contracts, even though they do the same work as permanent employees.

One source told blogger Cyrian Nyakundi, saying, "Hi Cyprian, I'm reaching out because things at Daima Milk are not good. One worker in the quality department was sick for a long time and asked for sick leave but was not allowed to get treatment. He eventually had to resign, and sadly, he passed away.

"This is against labour laws. Many people are leaving the company, and when they do, their last salaries are kept by the COO. Casual workers are still being paid Ksh 380 a day, which is also not right.

"This company is treating people poorly and not following the law. He had surgery last year and needed regular doctor visits, but his requests for leave were denied. His health got worse, and by the time he quit to seek help, it was too late, and he died."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.