The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi has dismissed a petition challenging the termination of 61 employees who served in the office of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.
The court confirmed that the employees’ contracts lawfully ended following Gachagua’s impeachment in October 2024.
In her ruling, Justice Hellen Wasilwa stated that the employees were not unfairly dismissed, as their fixed-term contracts were explicitly tied to the duration of Gachagua’s tenure in office.
The court emphasized that their employment depended entirely on the former deputy president’s holding of the position, and once he was impeached, the legal foundation for their contracts ceased to exist.
Justice Wasilwa noted,
"It is clear that the said 61 officers were employed on local agreement terms with a provision that the contract was pegged to the tenure of office of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has since been impeached as per the evidence adduced."The petition was filed by Nairobi-based lawyer Suyianka Lempaa in collaboration with the Africa Centre for Peace and Human Rights.
The petitioners argued that the mass dismissal was unlawful, politically motivated, and violated principles of fair labour practices and human dignity.
They contended that the sackings were a form of punishment against civil servants caught in the political rivalry between Gachagua and President William Ruto, unfairly dragging neutral bureaucrats into political conflict.
