Companies

Exit fears as Mondo Ride suspends accounts

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Mondo Ride Kenya County Manager Joar Lindh. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG

Nairobi-headquartered cab-hailing firm Mondo Ride has suspended taxi rides for corporate clients amid panic among employees that it could be exiting Kenya.

Country manager for operations Joar Lindh has quit and left the country even as employees allege that they have been informally told of a looming exit as they join drivers in seeking arrears that have piled up since December.

Co-founder Himanshu Anand has acknowledged the delay in salaries and suspension of corporate rides but downplayed news of shutting down.

A letter written on Monday by the firm’s employees to Mr Lindh, Mr Anand and CEO Troels Andersen however pointed to an exit plan even as senior management insisted that they were all out the country for a funds drive to expand the business. “Following (unofficial) communication to Mondo Ride staff, it has been resolved that the company will no longer be in operation,” the letter from staff read.

Both Mr Anand and the call centre manager Grace Elkana confirmed having seen a copy of the letter. Mondo drivers and company employees said they had not received their dues for at least two months and that none of the senior managers was in the country.

However, Mr Anand denied that the firm was about to exit the Kenyan market.

“Mondo management is completely dedicated to the business. We are in the final stages of fundraising,” he said. “There is a misunderstanding of the situation. We were set to close funding in December but it delayed. There has been delay in payments due to a few issues but they will get their dues,” Mr Anand said in a phone interview.

“We suspended corporate rides because of delays in payments. The accounts will be reinstated once we collect outstanding amounts,” he added.

Mondo’s services are in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kampala, Kisumu and Dar es Salaam. Its corporate transportation offering has more than 100 clients across the region.

Mr Anand did not disclose how much was being fundraised and what is owned to drivers and staff.