Three East African professionals are stuck in Bujumbura—Eshcol Energy workers stranded in Burundi over unpaid hotel bills that now exceed Sh9.8 million.
In early 2025, Kenyans Victor Wakhungu and Paul Wangila, plus Tanzanian Kitinde Lawrence Juliana, arrived in Burundi for an oil-sector assignment. Their employer, Nairobi-based Eshcol Energy Solution Limited, arranged their stay through Burundi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company promised to cover accommodation, meals, and other expenses. The men trusted the setup because it had government backing and corporate guarantees.
But by September 2025, the situation collapsed. They had stayed 117 nights without payment. The room bill alone hit Sh2.4 million, with extra charges pushing the total even higher.
Instead of billing Eshcol Energy, Mt Zion Hotel filed a police complaint against the three men. The complaint named each worker and held them personally responsible for the debt.
As a result, the men could not leave the country. They were doing their jobs, yet now faced legal risk in a foreign land for bills they never signed.
Pastor Joseph Abuto later exposed their plight. He said he tried many times to get Eshcol Energy to pay, but the company went silent. “You cannot send workers abroad and abandon them with unpaid bills,” he told the Nation Media Group in Kisumu.
Documents he shared showed the debt reached Sh6.2 million by October 24, 2025. It has kept growing since then.
Wakhungu, speaking from Bujumbura, called it a “business delay.” He insisted no one was stranded. “Things like this happen,” he said. Yet months passed, and they remained stuck.
Eshcol Energy’s finance director, Patricia Adhiambo, kept promising payment—but nothing came. Later, legal director Rosemary Kamathi apologized in a letter. She blamed delays with a Qatari investor and promised full payment after a deal signed.
In mid-September, Kamathi sent Sh387,000—just 6% of what was owed—as a “gesture of goodwill.” After that, the company stopped responding.
The Kenya Embassy in Burundi confirmed it offered consular help but cannot pay private debts. Tanzanian officials face the same limits for Mr. Kitinde.
Hotel manager Niyongabo Didier said the men must stay until they settle the full bill. “We still give them basic services, even though they haven’t paid,” he explained.
He added that the hotel could not confirm Eshcol Energy’s legitimacy at first, so they reported the case to authorities. The partial payment came with a promise to clear the rest by September’s end—but the company broke that promise.
Now, the hotel plans to send a final demand letter to Eshcol Energy. It will copy both embassies and threaten legal action if payment does not come within seven days.
Reporters tried to contact Eshcol Energy using official numbers. A representative, Juliet Akumba, acknowledged the call and said she would call back. As of publication, no one from the company had responded by phone or email.
This case shows how vulnerable expatriate workers can be. It also reveals a serious gap in corporate responsibility. For now, the Eshcol Energy workers stranded in Burundi wait—trapped by debt, silence, and broken promises.
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