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South African retail giant Shoprite has been blocked from pulling out of the Kenyan market or removing its assets from Kenya.

High court Judge Anthony Mrima issued the order pending the hearing of a suit filed by a man who claims a stack of plastic containers fell on him at the said supermarket at Garden City Mall in Nairobi.

“An order is hereby issued restraining the Respondent herein, Shoprite Checkers Limited, from selling, transferring or concluding any sale or transfer of its business within Kenya as a going concern,” Justice Mrima ruled.

The supermarket, which entered the Kenyan market two years ago, was set to exit by the end of this month with the closure of its Nairobi head office.

Patrick Alouis Macharia Maina, an IT developer, however, sued the supermarket seeking to block it from leaving, until a case, which he filed after he allegedly encountered an accident in the supermarket, is heard and determined.

Stack of containers

He claims that in September 2019, at 5:40 pm, or thereabouts, he attempted to lift the stack of containers in order to inspect them more closely, and the stack of lids that had been loosely placed on top of the containers suddenly slid off without warning and violently struck him on the front side of his face with its combined weight, hardness and velocity

Doubled up in excruciating pain, and feeling dizzy, he quickly rushed to a camping chair that was on display a few meters away where he sat in a bent over position completely overwhelmed by the immense pain and shock.

He says the violent impact of the falling stack of lids caused him to suffer head injuries, excruciating pain and immediate psychological shock, and psychological distress.