Following the recent series of articles exposing the mistreatment of employees at Carrefour Kenya’s Two Rivers Mall branch, the matter has taken a twist as Franck Moreau, the long-serving Country Manager officially left his position on Wednesday, March 1, 2022.
This confirms earlier rumours that emerged in December 2022 that Moreau had tendered his resignation amid massive public outrage regarding the numerous scandals surrounding the company.
Christophe Orcet has been appointed as the Acting Country Manager and will take over from Moreau.
He arrived on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and briefly visited the head office before leaving. He is expected to finalize the takeover on Friday.
Moreau had been in charge of Carrefour Kenya during turbulent times when the company faced allegations of mistreatment of employees and other scandals.
Junior staff who spoke to this blog expressed how they were constantly intimidated, frustrated, and insulted by their supervisors.
They also complained about long shifts of more than 14 hours a day.
When they attempted to raise the issues with management, no action was taken.
The recent dismissal of employee Byron Makokha for speaking out against injustices and poor working conditions further tarnished the company’s reputation.
Makokha exposed what he described as an intimidating and frustrating work environment.
Carrefour Kenya responded to his allegations with a show-cause letter, accusing him of making unverified claims.
However, Makokha maintained that his revelations were factual and offered a response letter to support his claims.
After a disciplinary meeting on February 13, 2022, the committee ruled that Makokha had breached his contractual obligations and the company’s code of ethics, resulting in his dismissal.
Following his unfair dismissal, Makokha made an appeal to Carrefour’s parent company, Majid Al Futtaim Limited.
He called Majid Al Futtaim’s main offices in Dubai through a hotline number to explain the circumstances surrounding his sacking.
After submitting a full report regarding the incident, the victim was informed that the details of the report had been provided to Majid Al Futtaim Management Services.
Majid Al Futtaim Management officials also wrote a letter to the Carrefour Two Rivers Head Office to explain why they unfairly sacked Mr Makokha.
However, by the time Franck Moreau left Carrefour Kenya, he was yet to respond to the Dubai office with an explanation of their actions.
As the dust settles on Moreau’s departure, the focus now shifts to the future of Carrefour Kenya and the steps that Demassiest will take to address the concerns raised.
The mistreatment of employees is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, and it is hoped that the new leadership will take swift action to improve the working conditions of employees.
