"Kenyan owner of US-Swahili restaurant in court for paying workers Sh. 720 per hour,"

Award-winning Kenyan businessman and owner of the Swahili Restaurant in Washington DC, Kevin Onyona has been taken to court on accusations of underpaying his employees.

The restaurant... is said to violate the US's minimum wage law by paying its staff as little as Sh. 725 ($5) by the hour, inclusive of tips.

The lawsuit which was filed by Washington DC's Attorney General's Office further contended that Onyona and his business partner Emad Shoeb neglected to pay workers for overtime and sick leave....

They mostly employed African migrant workers and underpaid them by a cumulative of nearly Sh. 725,000 ($5,000)....

"Our investigating indicates that Swahili Village DC and its executives, Kevin Onyona and Emad Shoeb, persistently and systematically failed to pay hundreds of hard-working restaurant workers the wages, tips, and benefits they were legally entitled to receive, violating the basic wage, overtime, sick leave, and record-keeping rules that all District employers are required to follow." Washington DC AG Brian Schwalb said in a statement...

The lawsuit further claims that Onyona and Shoeb failed to keep regular payroll records, keeping employees in the dark about how they pay was calculated...

The paid also failed to give sick leave to employees, reprimanding them for missing work due to illness...