Cyprian Nyakundi, a well-known figure on social media, recently shared shocking revelations about Airtel Kenya on his X page, exposing the company’s alleged exploitation of its junior sales employees and its involvement in fraudulent activities.
According to whistleblowers within the company, Airtel Kenya has been coercing its sales executives (SEs) into unethical practices while subjecting them to harsh working conditions. These employees, who are not directly hired by Airtel but rather contracted through third-party agencies like Fine Media and Sheer Logic Management Consultants, claim they are forced to manipulate customer registrations, engage in illegal SIM card activations, and even bear the financial burden of unsellable products.
The role of a sales executive, as outlined in their contracts, is to recruit and train SIM-selling outlets. However, whistleblowers reveal that their supervisors pressure them to meet unrealistic internal targets known as SSO 1+ and SSO 10+.
These targets require every SIM-selling outlet to register at least one new line per day and every network booster site to have at least 10 active SIM cards registered. To meet these demands, SEs are allegedly forced to obtain copies of customer identification documents without their knowledge, often reusing images from past transactions to fraudulently register SIM cards.
This practice not only violates customer trust but also raises serious ethical and legal concerns.In addition to fraudulent SIM activations, SEs are reportedly under immense pressure to meet sales targets for products like premium SIM cards and Mifi devices.
Premium SIM cards, which retail at Ksh 1,000, are often difficult to sell because Airtel offers more competitive alternatives.
As a result, SEs claim they are forced to pre-activate these lines themselves, leading to monthly losses of between Ksh 4,000 and Ksh 6,000.
Similarly, Mifi devices, which are essentially pocket Wi-Fi routers, are also challenging to sell due to their lack of unique advantages over regular Airtel lines. Despite this, SEs are required to sell a minimum of 10 Mifi devices each month. If they fail to meet this quota, they are allegedly forced to purchase the remaining stock out of their own pockets, further straining their already little earnings.
The situation is even more dire in rural areas, where demand for these products is low. SEs report being required to sell at least five routers per month, regardless of market conditions.
Since most customers prefer to renew their data packages rather than purchase new devices, SEs are often left with no choice but to distribute new routers to existing users instead of genuine buyers. This not only creates unnecessary waste but also highlights the unrealistic expectations placed on these employees.To make matters worse, Airtel Kenya imposes strict deadlines on its sales executives. SEs are expected to meet 200% of their monthly sales targets by the 10th of each month.
For example, while the official target might be three premium SIM cards and five Mifi devices, SEs are pressured to sell six premium lines and 10 Mifi devices within the first 10 days.
This relentless pressure leaves them with little choice but to resort to fraudulent practices to meet these demands. Whistleblowers argue that this policy is deliberately designed to ensure that by mid-month, SEs can focus on boosting activation numbers through illegal means.
The revelations shared by Cyprian Nyakundi paint a troubling picture of Airtel Kenya’s internal practices. By exploiting its junior employees and forcing them to engage in fraudulent activities, the company is not only damaging its reputation but also putting its employees in an impossible position.
These allegations raise serious questions about corporate accountability and the treatment of contract workers in Kenya.
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