Naivas CEO Andreas von Paleske Leads Nationwide Father’s Day Celebration as Retail Giant Honours Fathers Across Kenya

 Naivas Supermarkets, Kenya’s largest homegrown retail chain, marked Father’s Day with a remarkable nationwide customer appreciation campaign that saw the company’s top leadership personally engage with fathers shopping in stores across the country.

The initiative, conducted under the retailer’s flagship Kikapu Kibonge Campaign, unfolded simultaneously in more than 110 Naivas outlets spread across over 38 counties, underscoring the company’s commitment to celebrating and appreciating the vital role fathers play in Kenyan families and communities.

In a rare move that took senior executives from the boardroom to the shop floor, Naivas Group Chief Executive Officer Andreas von Paleske led one of two national engagement teams that visited stores and interacted directly with customers. A second team comprising senior members of the company’s executive leadership undertook similar engagements in other regions, ensuring the celebrations reached customers in every corner of the country.

The Father’s Day activation transformed ordinary shopping experiences into memorable moments of recognition, with fathers receiving tokens of appreciation, special acknowledgements, and opportunities to interact directly with the company’s leadership.

Speaking during the celebrations, Mr. von Paleske said the initiative was inspired by the desire to recognize the often-unseen sacrifices and contributions made by fathers in supporting their families.

"Fatherhood carries a quiet, daily weight that rarely gets celebrated out loud," said Mr. von Paleske. "Kikapu Kibonge has always been Naivas’s promise to size up the Kenyan household’s basket and its lifestyle. Today, we are sizing up that same promise to honour the men who carry their households on their shoulders every single day, in every corner of this country."

He noted that fathers play a critical role in shaping families, supporting communities, and contributing to national development, making it important for institutions and businesses to acknowledge their efforts.

The nationwide activation forms part of the broader Kikapu Kibonge Campaign, which has become synonymous with value, affordability, and customer satisfaction for millions of Kenyan shoppers. While the campaign is largely known for enhancing customers’ purchasing power through competitive pricing and promotions, this year’s Father’s Day celebration added a human touch by focusing on appreciation and personal connection.

According to Naivas, the initiative reflects the company’s enduring belief that retail goes beyond transactions and should also create meaningful relationships with customers and communities.

“As a Kenyan-born and family-rooted business, we understand the importance of family values and the role fathers play in providing stability, guidance, and support,” the company said in a statement. “Today’s engagement was designed to show fathers that their efforts are seen, valued, and appreciated.”

Across the country, fathers shopping at Naivas stores were pleasantly surprised by the celebrations, with many expressing gratitude for the recognition. The atmosphere in stores was marked by smiles, conversations, and heartfelt exchanges as customers interacted with company representatives and fellow shoppers.

Naivas emphasized that the activation was intentionally designed to be genuinely national in scope, reaching customers from major cities to smaller towns and communities. Whether in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, or other regions, fathers visiting Naivas outlets experienced the same message of appreciation and recognition.

"This was built to be felt by fathers in every region we serve—from our stores in Nairobi to our stores on the Coast, in the Rift Valley, in Western Kenya, and beyond," Mr. von Paleske said. "Wherever there is a Naivas, there was appreciation for fathers today."

The company further noted that the Father’s Day activation embodies its core values of customer-centricity, integrity, and community partnership. Rather than delegating the celebrations to store-level staff alone, the decision by senior executives to personally engage customers demonstrated the retailer’s commitment to staying connected with the people it serves.

Industry observers say the initiative reflects a growing trend among leading brands to strengthen customer loyalty through authentic community engagement and social appreciation campaigns. By celebrating fathers at a personal level, Naivas was able to connect with customers beyond the traditional retail experience.

The event also reinforced the company’s position as one of Kenya’s most trusted and recognizable retail brands. Over the years, Naivas has expanded its footprint across the country while maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction, innovation, and value-driven shopping experiences.

As Father’s Day celebrations continued across the nation, Naivas extended its gratitude to all fathers and father figures for their dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to their families.

The retailer also thanked media partners and customers who participated in the activation, noting that the success of the event reflected the strong bond between the company and the communities it serves.

For many fathers who walked into a Naivas store on Sunday expecting an ordinary shopping trip, the experience turned into a memorable celebration of their role as providers, mentors, and pillars of their families—an affirmation that their everyday efforts have not gone unnoticed.