Kisii Coca-Cola Company could be fighting for good relations with the surrounding community following allegations that the management has withdrawn from engaging in Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the region.
Residents of Kereri region (surrounds Kisii Bottlers) on Thursday blamed the company for neglecting the region in contrast to its previous managements.
According to them, the company has not been supporting sports, education and other community activities in the region since 2014, raising questions about their giving back to the society commitment.
“The Coca-Cola Company has been a good neighbour for many years because the community had donated the land for plant construction. It's however disturbing that they no longer support the social course as in the past. We wonder what could have gone wrong,” said Mr Abel Mochiemo, on behalf of the residents.
They said the company had failed to respond to their letter dated May 2015 over the same issue after two local students from Jogoo Primary School failed to secure places in secondary schools despite having scored highly in 2014 KCPE.
“We started doubting their care when two children were forced to repeat class eight despite having scored over 350 marks. We thought the company could help but no one has since responded to our query because we are justified as a community to ask,” he added.
Plant Deputy Managing Director Francis Kamau conceded the decline in social responsibility activities and defended the move, citing change in general management.
“It’s true we have not been able to do our CSR and we even stopped supplying free drinking water. The central, Rift Valley and Western sectors were amalgamated and we are currently under one management hence as a plant we cannot be able to make decisions,” he said.