Giraffe Manor slammed over racism allegations
By: joan Joan Wanari
Posted on Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Nairobi based luxury hotel Giraffe Manor has had netizens crazy over racism allegations. The hotel is home to a number of giraffes and is property of The Safari Collection.
The facility announced that they were “Reopening to Kenyans” following the corona pandemic. This announcement was not taken kindly by the online users.
Kenyans came out in numbers to share their ugly experiences with the hotel. They claimed that the facility prefers white clients over people of colour.
PR consultant Anyiko Owoko raised the alarm and started the conversation. She recalled being asked to pay over Ksh.60,000 for breakfast at the posh hotel. The amount was said to cater for, airport transfer, driver, chauffeur and a car. In an Instagram post this is what she said.
“Dear giraffe Manor Management @thesafaricollection You are cancelled &we don’t need to be welcomed into Giraffe Manor, only now that you need Kenyans because all your white rich guests can’t travel into your establishment because of the Corona.My friend@ smilebeckwith [a travel consultant and owner of a travel company] tried to book a stay with you, last year between Sept and Oct. We called your establishment to inquire if we could stay a night- there was no space because you were booked out, completely understandable. But when we requested to come have breakfast and just see the giraffes, we were slapped with an exorbitant rate [over 600 USD] which included a driver, chauffer, airport transfer and a vehicle BUT when we requested to only pay the breakfast and to see the giraffes and not have to pay for the car and airport transfer because we are Kenyans and commuting from the city, your bookings department refused and said that we had to pay the full amount because it is your policy.
For the longest time, your policy has been to have these type of pricing that only benefit non-Kenyans and tourists coming from outside Kenya. I wonder why all over sudden you are welcoming Kenyans into your establishment. Is it because you now need us for your business to survive? You would not have invited us had it not been for the fact that your business, just like all others, is suffering because of the Covid restrictions.
For the longest time, your policy has been to have these type of pricing that only benefit non-Kenyans and tourists coming from outside Kenya. I wonder why all over sudden you are welcoming Kenyans into your establishment. Is it because you now need us for your business to survive? You would not have invited us had it not been for the fact that your business, just like all others, is suffering because of the Covid restrictions.
No thanks, I don’t want to come to your establishment and urge all Kenyans to cancel and boycott your establishment that has made it terribly difficult for Kenyans to access. You obviously have the right to run your property the way you deem fit and even have policies that benefit you’re your business structure, just don’t only include Kenyans now only because you need us and you wouldn’t have had that way earlier. YOUR OWN POST SHOWS THAT YOU WERE NOT OPEN TO ALL KENYANS BEFORE! WHY “NOW OPEN TO KENYANS”.
“#BoycottgiraffeManor Instead go to Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara and especially Samburu national reserve and all conservancies/parks in Kenya to see giraffes and you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it. After all this is our heritage.”
Some of the celebrities that came out in support of Anyiko include, actress Catherine Kamau Karanja, singer Patricia Kihoro and Stylist Brian Babu.
This scandal comes a week after racist organizations came out to support the slogan Black Lives Matter.
