Friday, May 30, 2025 - Emma Okere, a staff at Safaricom, took to LinkedIn to expose the toxic work environment at the telecommunication giant.
Read her full statement.
I regret the day I signed my contract to work for
Safaricom PLC. I worked in December. I worked from the hospital. Stop
gaslighting me. The HR just called me to insist that I didn’t work in December.
Let’s talk about gaslighting in the workplace,
that special kind of psychological warfare where you’re made to question your
reality, your sanity, and eventually your worth. It’s the workplace version of
emotional abuse, except here, it’s wrapped in KPIs, performance reviews, and
glossy “employee wellbeing” reports.
Welcome to the silent scream of many corporate
employees, the ones who show up early, stay late, innovate their hearts out,
and still get pulled into HR meetings not to be supported but to be threatened.
Yes, threatened.
I’m tired. I’ve tried. I’ve innovated. I’ve worked hard
for a company that is consistently ranked among the best employers in Africa
and yet here I am, questioning whether that title is just a high-budget PR
campaign while real people suffer in silence behind the scenes.
The last time HR called me in, it wasn’t to celebrate
my work. No, it was a chilling conversation where I was reminded that Safaricom
PLC is a big company. Bigger than me. That they could send security after me.
That I should think twice before speaking up. That I could lose everything.
That I might even lose my life. (And yes, I was told this to my face.)
Let me repeat that: I was warned, under the guise of a
professional meeting, that security could be sent to harass, harm, or kill me,
all because I dared to advocate for myself and others like me. Because I
questioned why those with autism, ADHD, or just plain human dignity have to
suffer under systems that claim to support inclusion.
What is my salary compared to Safaricom’s billions in
revenue per day? What is my life worth in a world where silence is safer than
truth? I’ve stood up for what is right not just for me, but for all the
brilliant, burned-out, neurodivergent, and bullied employees who sit in
meetings smiling through the pain. I’ve spoken up in rooms that didn’t want to
hear me.
But now? I give up.
I’m exhausted. My body is breaking down. My mental
health is in pieces. The best employer in Africa is making me depressed.
So here I am. Still autistic. Still loving justice.
Still believing that someone somewhere will listen. But also, done. I don’t
have the energy to fight giants anymore.
So, dear Safaricom PLC, send your security. Send them
to arrest me. I am at Muthiga. At this point, my only crime is telling the
truth. And if my death is what it takes to highlight the suffering of countless
others within your golden walls, then so be it.
But let it be known, I loved this company. I loved my
job. I loved innovation. And I hope that one day, people like me would be safe
in the boardroom.
And if not safe, at least believed.
If you are reading this and you’re struggling with workplace bullying. You are not alone. Your life matters more than any job.
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