Agnes M. Osiemo & 75 others v National Bank of Kenya & Industrial & Commercial Development Corporation [2014] KEELRC 527 (KLR)

REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE INDUSTRIAL COURT OF KENYA

AT NAIROBI

MISC. NO. 7 OF 2014

AGNES M. OSIEMO ................................................................  1ST APPLICANT

AGNES W. KIMANI .................................................................... 2ND APPLICANT

ALEXANDER K. KARIUKI ........................................................... 3RD APPLICANT

ALFRED MAILU ......................................................................... 4TH APPLICANT

ALLOYS MAKENYA .................................................................... 5TH APPLICANT

BEATRICE W. NGATIA ................................................................ 6TH APPLICANT

BRIDGET KAIMURI .................................................................... 7TH APPLICANT

CATHERINE N. KAMENWA ........................................................ 8TH APPLICANT

CHARLES T. CHIRA ................................................................... 9TH APPLICANT

CHRISTINE W. MUHIU ............................................................... 10TH APPLICANT

DANIEL M. KIBARU .................................................................. 11TH APPLICANT

DAVID N. SAMANI ................................................................... 12TH APPLICANT

DICK MANWA ........................................................................ 13TH APPLICANT

DICK N. MOCHACHE .............................................................. 14TH APPLICANT

DUNCAN M. ONUNDU ............................................................. 15TH APPLICANT

EDITH WANJIRU ..................................................................... 16TH APPLICANT

EDWARD K. MAINA ................................................................. 17TH APPLICANT

ESTHER A. OTIENO ................................................................. 18TH APPLICANT

EZRA O. SAMUEL ................................................................... 19TH APPLICANT

GRACE K. MAINA ..................................................................... 20TH APPLICANT

GRACE N. MBATIA ................................................................... 21ST APPLICANT

GRACE A. OGWANG .................................................................. 22ND APPLICANT

HASSAN ODHIAMBO ................................................................ 23RD APPLICANT

HENRY MWANGI ........................................................................ 24TH APPLICANT

HENRY N. MURANGA ................................................................. 25TH APPLICANT

HENRY WETENDE ...................................................................... 26TH APPLICANT

JAMES N. GICHIA ...................................................................... 27TH APPLICANT

JAMES KAGUAI ......................................................................... 28TH APPLICANT

JAMES K. GUCHU .................................................................... 29TH APPLICANT

JAMES O. MASIRA ................................................................... 30TH APPLICANT

JANE N. MAINA ........................................................................ 31ST APPLICANT

JANE W. KANJA ....................................................................... 32ND APPLICANT

JANET K. IRUNGU ................................................................... 33RD APPLICANT

JACINTA W. THUMBI ............................................................... 34TH APPLICANT

JASON OBINO ......................................................................... 35TH APPLICANT

JOAB O. ONGOCHE ................................................................ 36TH APPLICANT

JOSEPH M. NGOTHO .............................................................. 37TH APPLICANT

JUDITH M. MURIITHI ................................................................ 38TH APPLICANT

JULIUS B. NANDWA ................................................................. 39TH APPLICANT

LEAH W. NGANGA ..................................................................... 40TH APPLICANT

LUCAS OTIENO ....................................................................... 41ST APPLICANT

LUCY W. NDUNG’U .................................................................. 42ND APPLICANT

MARGARET W. KARURI ........................................................... 43RD APPLICANT

MARY W. MURIUKI .................................................................. 44TH APPLICANT

MARY N. GITAU ........................................................................ 45TH APPLICANT

MERCY M. MWANGI ................................................................ 46TH APPLICANT

MINNIE N. KIMANI ................................................................... 47TH APPLICANT

NELIUS G. NDUNGU ................................................................. 48TH APPLICANT

ROSE N. KIMANI ...................................................................... 49TH APPLICANT

PETER M. KAMUNDIA ............................................................... 50TH APPLICANT

PETER NYAKERI ....................................................................... 51ST APPLICANT

RICHARD K. WANYOIKE .......................................................... 52ND APPLICANT

RICHARD M. NYANGAU ............................................................ 53RD APPLICANT

REGINA W. GITHII .................................................................... 54TH APPLICANT

ROSEMARY W. KANGANGA ...................................................... 55TH APPLICANT

SAMUEL H. KARANJA ................................................................ 56TH APPLICANT

SAMUEL GITAU .......................................................................... 57TH APPLICANT

SAMUEL NGATA ........................................................................ 58TH APPLICANT

SAMUEL O. ONCHIRI ................................................................. 59TH APPLICANT

TABITHA W. NJIRAINI ............................................................... 60TH APPLICANT

VERONICA W. MAINA .............................................................. 61ST APPLICANT

VIOLET K. NDAMBO ............................................................... 62ND APPLICANT

NANCY H. MACHARIA ............................................................. 63RD APPLICANT

PAUL KARANJA ..................................................................... 64TH APPLICANT

NORAH ANAM ........................................................................ 65TH APPLICANT

WACEKE KIMANI .................................................................... 66TH APPLICANT

STEPHEN N. GATHURU ............................................................ 67TH APPLICANT

SAMSON M. MBINDO ................................................................. 68TH APPLICANT

ROSE A. IMBAYA ....................................................................... 69TH APPLICANT

STEPHEN N. KANYI ................................................................... 70TH APPLICANT

HENRY N. MANENGA ................................................................ 71ST APPLICANT

JACOB M. KILEI ....................................................................... 72ND APPLICANT

SAMUEL G. MWANGI ................................................................ 73RD APPLICANT

DOMINIC N. ANDERE ................................................................. 74TH APPLICANT

ZIPPORAH CHEMUTAI ............................................................... 75TH APPLICANT

LYDIA W. WACHIRA .................................................................. 76TH APPLICANT

VERSUS

NATIONAL BANK OF KENYA .................................................. 1ST RESPONDENT

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL

DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION  ........................................... 2ND RESPONDENT

F. N. Kimani for Applicant

RULING

1.       This Application dated 15th January 2014, was filed on the same date supported by an affidavit of Daniel Mugo Kibaru, on behalf of 76 Applicants.

2.       The applicants are ex-employees of Dawa Pharmaceutical Limited, which company was placed under liquidation and its assets and liabilities taken over by the 1st and 2nd Respondents herein.

This took place sometimes in 2008.  The Applicants were not paid their dues subsequent to which they filed H.C. Misc. Application No. 1612 of 2005.

On 2nd March 2007, the High Court struck out the case on grounds it had no jurisdiction to entertain the same.

4.       The Advocate for the Applicants, sought to file an appeal to the Court of Appeal out of time but the Application for extension of time was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 13th December 2008 for failure by the Advocate to appear to ventilate the matter.

A subsequent Application was granted by the Court of Appeal on 22nd January 2010 allowing an appeal to be filed out of time.

The Advocate did not file an appeal on time and sought a further extension which was refused on 23rd March 2012.

The Advocate became elusive, and completely unavailable until the Applicants obtained the service of their current Advocate, F. N. Kimani & Associates.

5.       That the Applicants seek extension of time to file a suit before the Industrial Court out of time.

They claim they are truly owed terminal benefits by the Respondents herein and therefore it is in the interest of justice that this application be allowed.

6.       The Applicants have not annexed a draft statement of claim to this application for the Court to evaluate its viability in exercise of its discretion as prayed.

7.       The 1st and 2nd Respondents were not the employers of the Applicants and there is no material placed before Court to help it determine whether this Court has jurisdiction over the intended suit.

Furthermore, the cause of action as alleged in the oral submissions, though not stated in the Supporting Affidavit is alleged to have arisen sometimes in 2006.  The circumstances under which the cause of action arose, are neither canvassed in the grounds of the Application nor in the Supporting Affidavit itself.  The court can in the circumstances only guess when, where and what happened to the Applicants who are alleged to have been declared redundant by an employer who is not a party to this suit.

8.       It is now trite that labour claims founded on contract before the enactment of the Employment Act, 2007, fall within the purview of the limitation of Actions Act, Cap 22 of the Laws of Kenya, on matters of limitation.

The provision Applicable is Section 4(1) thereat which limits the period of bringing suits founded on contract  to six 6) years from the date the cause of action arose in mandatory terms.

9.       The Court of Appeal of Kenya at Nairobi in the matter of Divecon Ltd. Vs. Saman held:

“the word of Section 4(1) were clear beyond any doubt and meant that no one had the right or power to bring an action founded on contract after the end of six years from the date on which the cause of action occurred.”

The Court held further that:

“under Section 28(2) of the Limitation of Actions Act, where an exparte application for extension of time was made before the commencement of an action, leave would only be granted where a cause of action had been established and the requirements of Sections 27(2) and 29 had been fulfilled.”

10.     In this case, reliance is made on the negligence of an Advocate, who misled the parties to proceed before a Court without jurisdiction and who failed, through negligent conduct to prosecute an appeal against an order of the High Court to the effect that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, even upon condonation by the Court of Appeal.  No doubt, the parties have recourse against the Advocate personally.

The Court has no discretion to enlarge the time for filing this suit.

11.     Accordingly, the exparte Application is unmeritorious and the same is dismissed.

Dated and delivered at Nairobi this 4th day of April, 2014.

MATHEWS N. NDUMA

PRINCIPAL JUDGE