Contractor charged for beating up female worker

A city contractor, Davendra Keshra, is facing assault charges at the Makadara Law Courts for allegedly beating his female employee, Sharon Beywa.

The incident occurred at the South B shopping center in Nairobi after a disagreement over the compensation of an injured employee. Beywa, a safety health officer at Keshra’s company, had arrived at the scene to find Keshra arguing with the injured employee.

The employee had been told by medics to take a rest from work, but Keshra was reportedly unhappy with this, as he was still paying the employee despite him being out of work.

Keshra allegedly summoned Beywa and began arguing with her over the employee’s demands. He demanded receipts to prove that the employee was demanding the correct amount of money, but Beywa and the employee could not provide them, as most matatus (minibuses) in Nairobi do not issue receipts.

The argument escalated, and Keshra allegedly began hurling insults at Beywa. She left the scene and went to her office, but Keshra followed her and punched her on the cheeks. He also grabbed two chairs to hit her, but another worker intervened and restrained him.

Beywa sought treatment and continued working until she left the company. However, in September 2023, her jaw began to develop complications and she had to seek further treatment. She was told that she had soft tissue injuries that had not healed completely.

Beywa then reported the matter to the police, explaining that she had been afraid to do so at the time of the incident for fear of losing her job. Keshra was arrested and released on bail. His case will be mentioned on December 8, 2023, and the hearing will begin on April 11, 2024.