A total of 13 former senior executives at the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) more commonly referred to as Kenya Power, have been awarded a total sum of 135 Million Kenyan Shillings by the Labour Court as compensation for their retrenchment which occurred 6 years ago.
Retrenchment is a form of dismissal which is due to no fault of the employee or employees. It is a process whereby the employer reviews its business needs in order to either increase its profits or limit its losses, and results in the reduction of its employees.
The compensation which hit an exact total of 135,298,934 million Kenyan Shillings is the payment for constructive redundancy packages of two months salary for each of the years they worked.
Justice Maureen Onyango settled on that amount after carrying out a calculation in accordance with the judgement which was issued in February of 2020 by Justice Hellen Wasilwa where the court made it known that the former employees of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) were entitled to a redundancy package payment after being retrenched.
In said judgement the former Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) employees are Florence Kirimania Obura, Anne Elizabeth Owuor, Raphael Njoroge Mwaura, Cleophas Simiyu Wekesa, Charles Lwanga Ooko, Samuel Migwi Theuri, Charles Thinwa Mathenge, and Mary Waeni Wambua.
Others include Samuel Njoroge Njogu, Joshua Kamau Mwangi, Godfrey Kigarie Gathige, Nathaniel Waithaka Wanyagi, and James Ngugi Njuguna.
The former employees lost their jobs 6 years ago after their employer; Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) declared them redundant as a result of a reorganization of the establishment’s management that was carried out.
The utility company; Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) offered a voluntary early retirement plan to all individuals who had not been able to secure placements in the new structure.
The 13 former employees opted to apply for the Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) as a result of the position they had been placed in.
The Court through its statement made it known that the Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) only targeted those who were in ‘senior management’ and provided a deadline of 5 days for all applications to be made. This led to pressure being mounted on the eligible staff.
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