Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court has refused Coca-Cola Beverages Kenya a blanket ban on a strike by its workers, a ruling reported on November 10, 2026. The Kenya Union of Commercial, Food and Allied Workers represents the bottler’s staff. The court has allowed lawful strikes over genuine unresolved disputes to proceed.
Coca-Cola Beverages Kenya asked the court to stop the strike, arguing on several grounds. It said some of the union’s grievances had already gone through conciliation, the talks led by the Labour Ministry. It also argued that others were covered by the collective bargaining agreement, and that others were already before the courts.
The court did not accept a blanket ban. It ruled that lawful strikes over genuine, unresolved disputes remain permitted, so the union can still take industrial action on issues that have not been resolved. The ruling does not say whether a strike has started or when one might begin.
The union represents the company’s staff and is central to the dispute. Coca-Cola Beverages Kenya says it employs more than 1,500 workers. The ruling refers to 56 workers in connection with outstanding payments.
The court has also directed the company to provide the union with a schedule of payments to those 56 workers, including any outstanding terminal dues. Terminal dues are the amounts owed to an employee when their job ends. The order gives the union a clear record of what the company owes.
The case highlights a recurring pattern in Kenyan labour disputes. Employers often seek court orders to halt strikes, and the courts weigh whether grievances have been properly handled through conciliation and collective bargaining. A blanket ban is rarely granted, because workers keep the right to strike over genuine disputes.
Coca-Cola’s relations with its workers have been tested in court before. The union challenged the company’s decision to remove employees’ spouses from its medical scheme after they failed to produce marriage certificates. The Employment and Labour Relations Court declined to order immediate reinstatement, and that matter is set to go to a full hearing.
The company is also contending with a tax dispute. The Supreme Court declined to strike out a Sh5.6 billion tax suit filed by the Kenya Revenue Authority against The Coca-Cola Company, which concerns returnable containers used by its Kenyan subsidiaries. Those reports are older, and the outcome of that dispute has not been covered in the reports I found.
Court orders do not always end industrial action. In February 2026, the labour court temporarily blocked a planned aviation workers’ strike, but union officials said they would continue to press their demands. A court order can delay a strike, but it does not resolve the underlying dispute.
The next signals will be whether the union issues a strike notice, whether conciliation resumes, and whether the company delivers the payment schedule within the time the court set. Those steps will show whether the dispute moves toward a settlement or further industrial action.
