Swahili Village ordered to pay $527,000 for wages, tips theft in Washington
Kevin Onyona, the owner of Swahili Village restaurant in Beltsville, Maryland, and his staff prepare food in his mobile kitchen at The National Mall in Washington DC, US on April 11, 2019. PHOTO | POOL
A Kenyan-owned US fine-dining restaurant that landed itself in the soup for allegedly stealing and swallowing up wages and tips from workers in breach of Washington DC labour laws has agreed to scoop itself from the frying pan by coughing up $527,000 in penalties.
Swahili Village, an eatery famed for its fine African cuisine, and has had the honour of hosting President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta for meals, on Tuesday agreed to pay the amount in an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit filed by District of Columbia Attorney-General Brian Schwalb in 2023.
