Thursday, 13 March, 2025
Former KBL employees petition Senate over unpaid compensastion𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has begun hearings on a petition filed by 125 former employees of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) seeking redress over unpaid court-awarded compensation. The petition, led by Lawrence Ndutu, names KBL, law firm Kaplan & Stratton and Advocate Harrison Kinyanjui as parties in the dispute.
The committee, chaired by Sen Julius Murgor (West Pokot), heard that in 1997, KBL undertook a restructuring process aimed at cost-cutting and efficiency improvements through automation. While employees were initially offered Voluntary Early Retirement, petitioners allege that the company resorted to forced redundancies—sending staff on compulsory leave before terminating their contracts upon return.
After a protracted 15-year legal battle, Justice Joseph Sergon ruled in favour of the claimants on 24 January 2018. The judgment ordered KBL, represented by Kaplan & Stratton, to pay one month’s salary as damages, settle withheld refundable deposits totalling KES 9.4 million, and cover the costs of the suit. The sum was to accrue interest until full payment was made.
However, the petitioners claim they did not receive their full entitlements. Ndutu told the committee that in July 2018, their advocate, Harrison Kinyanjui, made them sign discharge vouchers indicating that the amounts to be received were “full and final settlements”. He alleged that Kinyanjui took advantage of their limited understanding, as the payments excluded the court-awarded one-month salary.
Further, Ndutu stated that Kinyanjui collected KES 250,000 to lodge an appeal at the Court of Appeal, but no such appeal was ever filed.
The petitioners also contend that while the KES 9.4 million was eventually disbursed, interest payments only covered the period up to November 2021—two months short of the full entitlement—by the time they received their final payments in January 2022.
Despite these outstanding concerns, the committee heard that on 11 January 2022, Advocate Kinyanjui signed a consent letter confirming that Kaplan & Stratton had fully settled the suit in accordance with the judgment. This, the petitioners argue, effectively closed the case without addressing their grievances over missing salary payments and incomplete interest accrual.
Sen Miraj Abdullahi pressed the petitioners on why they continued working with Kinyanjui despite their grievances. They clarified that the payment disputes arose only after the court ruling and that he no longer represented them.
Sen Alexander Mundigi (Embu) questioned the redundancy process, asking whether the affected employees were unionised. George Njigu, a petitioner, confirmed they were members of the Kenya Union of Commercial, Food and Allied Workers, which engaged KBL in negotiations. However, he alleged that the company disregarded the agreements reached with the union.
The committee also sought to establish whether another group of claimants, represented by Namada & Company Advocates, had received their full compensation. The petitioners confirmed that they had.
Sen Murgor assured the petitioners that the committee would pursue the matter to its conclusion and invite all involved parties.