Over 1,000 Kenyans to Lose Jobs as Finlays Announces Closure of Farms

Multinational flower company, Finlays has announced it will shut down two of its farms in Kenya by December 25th citing difficult business environment in the country.

The closure of the two flower farms in Kericho County will render more than 1,000 workers jobless, according to media reports.

Finlays General Manager Stephen Scott said the closure was also informed by the dwindling rose flower prices as a result of oversupply in the European market as well as unfavorable weather conditions, staggering labor costs and weakening exchange rates.

"It is no secret that in the last 18 months, the flower industry has been facing severe challenges... As a result, the directors have made the decision to close Chemirei and Tarakwet farms earlier than initially communicated. The final closure date will now be December 25," Scott said in a statement.

"All employees will be made redundant in accordance with the labor laws, existing Collective Bargaining Agreement, their specific terms of service and will be paid their final dues in full."

The two farms occupy an estimated 70 hectares inside the vast James Finlays’ tea plantations in Kericho.

“From the heart of our tea plantation in Kenya we produce in excess of 130,000,000 flower stems, ranging from roses and carnations to Matthiola and Alstroemeria (commonly known as the Peruvian Lily),” the company says on its website.

Finlays first started growing flowers within its tea plantation in Kenya in 1989 and mainly focuses on the UK and the European markets.