Nairobi, April 30 -- Every May 1st, Kenya pauses to honour the worker. Leaders make speeches, unions march and companies post worker-appreciation messages. But at Del Monte Kenya, Labour Day is personal. Honouring workers happens all year-round.

We employ over 7,700 people across three counties. That number is significant, but numbers can sometimes reduce people to statistics.

So, this Labour Day, I want to talk about who these people actually are - the cannery worker who has worked for 15 years without missing a beat, the woman in the packing line who doubles as a shop steward and a mother, the young man who joined us as a casual labourer and is now a section supervisor. These are the people this day belongs to.

Much has been said abo...