Lilian Karanja, Nixon Cheruiyot, Wachira Mwangi, Dominic Kiplangat, Lydia Waweru, Sarah Kangara, Peter Irungu, Davis Mwaura, Vivian Yegon, Collins Kipkoech, Nancy Munyao, Timothy Njoroge, Tabitha Kibithe, Nancy Jeruto, Kelvin Kemboi, Nicholas Kiplagat, Benard Chelule, Rose Jepkoech, Samuel Kosgey, Ann Kamau Jackson, Jane Kihuna, Peris Kihara, Catherine Mumbi Mugo, Michelle Kariuki, Fannuel Kiprotich, Cyrus Njoau, Jackline Njeri Kibui, Frankline Kipkurui Cheruiyot, Edith Njeri Ndungu, Florence Wanjiku Karanja, Joan Kandie, Joyce Nyambura Njoroge, George Karanja Kariuki, James Kipchumba Kabirer, Steve Mwangi, Dorcas Njeri Wambui, Kennedy Mungai, Njuguna Rahab Wambui, Ann Wangui Muya, Fred Bore Ruttoh, Simon Kamau, Rashid Anyanje Juma, Edwin Keter Kibet, Paul Kamau, Carol Wanjiru Gathura, Agnes Mwangi, Rose Kimungen , Agenes Chepkoskei, David Karanja, Andrew Karia, John Migwi Mwaniki, Veronica Gachambi, Alex Kuria, James Cherono, Mugo Njoroge, Levycheruiyot Langa [2017] KEELRC 1938 (KLR)

REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR RELATIONS COURT AT NAKURU

Petition No. 7 Of 2017

IN THE MATTER OF ARTICLES 10, 27, 28, 41, 50, 176, 179 AND 236 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA

AND

IN THE MATTER OF ALLEGED CONTRAVENTION OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS UNDER ARTICLES 27, 28, 41 AND 50 OF THE CONSTITUTION

AND

IN THE MATTER OF THE COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ACT, 2012

AND

IN THE MATTER OF COMPULSORY LEAVE IMPOSED ON THE PETITIONERS

Between

LILIAN KARANJA                             1ST PETITIONER

NIXON CHERUIYOT                         2ND PETITIONER

WACHIRA MWANGI                         3RD PETITIONER

DOMINIC KIPLANGAT                      4TH PETITIONER

LYDIA WAWERU                               5TH PETITIONER

SARAH KANGARA                            6TH PETITIONER

PETER IRUNGU                                 7TH PETITIONER

DAVIS MWAURA                               8TH PETITIONER

VIVIAN YEGON                                  9TH PETITIONER

COLLINS KIPKOECH                      10TH PETITIONER

NANCY MUNYAO                             11TH PETITIONER

TIMOTHY NJOROGE                       12th PETITIONER

TABITHA KIBITHE                            13th PETITIONER

NANCY JERUTO                               14th PETITIONER

KELVIN KEMBOI                               15th PETITIONER

NICHOLAS KIPLAGAT                      16th PETITIONER

BENARD CHELULE                           17th PETITIONER

ROSE JEPKOECH                             18th PETITIONER

SAMUEL KOSGEY                             19th PETITIONER

ANN KAMAU JACKSON                   20th PETITIONER

JANE KIHUNA                                     21st PETITIONER

PERIS KIHARA                                   22nd PETITIONER

CATHERINE MUMBI MUGO              23rd PETITIONER

MICHELLE KARIUKI                          24th PETITIONER

FANNUEL KIPROTICH                       25th PETITIONER

CYRUS NJOAU                                   26th PETITIONER

JACKLINE NJERI KIBUI                     27th PETITIONER

FRANKLINE KIPKURUI CHERUIYOT  28th PETITIONER

EDITH NJERI NDUNGU                        29th PETITIONER

FLORENCE WANJIKU KARANJA      30th PETITIONER

JOAN KANDIE                                       31st PETITIONER

JOYCE NYAMBURA NJOROGE         32nd PETITIONER

GEORGE KARANJA KARIUKI            33rd PETITIONER

JAMES KIPCHUMBA KABIRER         34th PETITIONER

STEVE MWANGI                                   35th PETITIONER

DORCAS NJERI WAMBUI                    36th PETITIONER

KENNEDY MUNGAI                               37th PETITIONER

NJUGUNA RAHAB WAMBUI                38th PETITIONER

ANN WANGUI MUYA                              39th PETITIONER

FRED BORE RUTTOH                            40th PETITIONER

SIMON KAMAU                                       41st PETITIONER

RASHID ANYANJE JUMA                     42nd PETITIONER

EDWIN KETER KIBET                             43rd PETITIONER

PAUL KAMAU                                          44th PETITIONER

CAROL WANJIRU GATHURA                45th PETITIONER

AGNES MWANGI                                     46th PETITIONER

ROSE KIMUNGEN                                    47th PETITIONER

AGENES CHEPKOSKEI                           48th PETITIONER

DAVID KARANJA                                    49th PETITIONER

ANDREW KARIA                                      50th PETITIONER

JOHN MIGWI MWANIKI                          51st PETITIONER

VERONICA GACHAMBI                          52nd PETITIONER

ALEX KURIA                                             53rd PETITIONER

JAMES CHERONO                                   54th PETITIONER

MUGO NJOROGE                                     55th PETITIONER

LEVYCHERUIYOT LANGAT                     56th PETITIONER

ABEL MUNGAI CHEGE                            57th PETITIONER

IBRAHIM MWANGI MACHARIA              58th PETITIONER

EDWARD OTIENO OMONDI                    59th PETITIONER

NEWTON MWAURA MPESA                  60th PETITIONER

GITONGA DAVID KINYANJUI                  61st PETITIONER

KENNEDY ANUNDA ROGITO                 62nd PETITIONER

MAGDALINE KAMAU                               63rd PETITIONER

OBED MWAURA                                           64th PETITIONER

FRANCIS MAATHAI KINGORI                      65th PETITIONER

JAMES MWANGI NDEGWA                          66th PETITIONER

DAVID WAITHAKA KIMANI                           67th PETITIONER

ZIPPORAH NYAMOITA GWAKO                   68th PETITIONER

MARY W. GACHIO                                         69th PETITIONER

JOHN KARIUKI WAINAINA                            70th PETITIONER

MAGARET KIRORI                                         71st PETITIONER

CATHERINE MUIRURI                                    72nd PETITIONER

BENARD KITUR                                              73rd PETITIONER

KELVIN VIOLET CHACHA                              74th PETITIONER

STANLEY ROTICH                                         75th PETITIONER

RUTH MURUGI                                               76th PETITIONER

CAROL KIBUI                                                 77th PETITIONER

ALICE CHEROP TOO                                    78th PETITIONER

ROSE LUCY WANJIKU                                 79th PETITIONER

SAMMY KIRAGU NDERITU                          80th PETITIONER

CHERUIYOT KANGONGO                            81st PETITIONER

JACKLINE KANGONGO                              82nd PETITIONER

SELINA NKATHA                                          83rd PETITIONER

MMBONE NTAGE                                          84th PETITIONER

BENARD MWATHI MACHARIA                     85th PETITIONER

DANIEL NDUNGU NJOAN                            86th PETITIONER

ALBERT BOWEN                                           87th PETITIONER

FRIDA MORAA                                               88th PETITIONER

ANN KEITANY                                                89th PETITIONER

GLADYS AMUNDA PKEMEI                         90th PETITIONER

GIDEON KIPROTICH KIBET                         91st PETITIONER

SILVESTOR TOTONA K                               92nd PETITIONER

ROSELYNE CHERUTO                                 93rd PETITIONER

KIPNGETICH TUEY                                       94th PETITIONER

SYMON MACHARIA MUCHERU                  95th PETITIONER

COLLINS K. TOO                                           96th PETITIONER

ELISHA MUCHERU                                       97th PETITIONER

SAMUEL NDEGWA                                        98th PETITIONER

ELIZABETH WANGUI MWANGI                    99th PETITIONER

ZACHARIA MWANGI NJERU                      100th PETITIONER

JAMES M. WAWERU                                    101st PETITIONER

JOYCE SANG                                               102nd PETITIONER

BEATRICE CHEPKEMOI                              103rd PETITIONER

RACHEL WAITHERA KIGOSI                      104th PETITIONER

KEN MUNGAI                                                105th PETITIONER

NJENGAH PATRICK NGANGA                     106th PETITIONER

GRACE MBUSIRO CHACHA                         107th PETITIONER

KINGORI MWANGI                                         108th PETITIONER

SAMUEL K. ROTICH                                      109th PETITIONER

IAN MUKIIRA KINOTI                                     110th PETITIONER

WINNIE NAMASAKA                                      112th PETITIONER

PAMELA TANUI M                                           113th PETITIONER

AGNES KARIUKI                                             114th PETITIONER

VERONICA GACHAMBI                                  115th PETITIONER

V

COUNTY SECRETARY,

COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF NAKURU            1st RESPONDENT

HON. LEE KINYANJUI,

NAKURU COUNTY                                             2nd RESPONDENT

COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF NAKURU            3rd RESPONDENT

PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD,

COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF NAKURU             4th RESPONDENT

JUDGMENT

1. The Petitioners moved Court on 31 August 2017 alleging that the Respondents by sending them on compulsory leave through a press release on 28 August 2017 had acted unprocedurally and unconstitutionally, and thus violated their constitutional rights to fair administrative action; equal protection of the law; inherent dignity; fair labour practices; fair hearing; protection from removal from public office without due process, and the national values and principles.

2. Filed at the same time with the Petition was a motion under certificate of urgency seeking orders/conservatory orders staying the letters/action of the Respondents sending the Petitioners on compulsory leave and/or recruitment of other persons as sub-county, deputy sub-county and ward administrators.

3. On 18 September 2017, this Court gave directions as to the determination of the Petition and in this regard, the 1st Respondent filed a replying affidavit sworn Benjamin Njoroge, and the 3rd and 4th Respondents filed Grounds of Opposition to Petition on 14 September 2017.

4. The Secretary of the 4th Respondent, James K. Mbugua filed a replying affidavit on 9 October 2017.

5. The Petitioners filed their written submissions on 29 September 2017, the 1st and 2nd Respondents filed their submissions on 11 October 2017 and the 3rd and 4th Respondents filed their submissions on 10 October 2017.

6. The submissions were highlighted on 19 October 2017.

Whether 3rd and 4th Respondents non suited

7. The 3rd and 4th Respondents contended that they were non-suited or mis-joined to the Petition.

8. That contention has no legal foundation because in terms of section 59 of the County Governments Act, the 3rd Respondent, an organ of the 4th Respondent has been given the function over the county public service, where the Petitioners fall employees employees.

Whether compulsory leave lawful

9. The Petitioners were sent on compulsory leave with pay pending investigations into their recruitment. The compulsory leave was not time bound.

10. Under the common law, a unilateral suspension of an employee with or without pay without a contractual basis would amount to a breach of contract (see McKenzie v Smith (1976) IRLR 345). The compulsory leave was effectively a unilateral suspension.

11. The Court is also alive to the common law position that an employer is under no obligation to give or assign work to an employee. The obligation is to pay wages so long as the employment relationship subsists.

12. An employee who is paid wages may not therefore found a cause of action that he/she has not been given work.

13. In the present case, the Respondents did not cite any contractual authority or basis upon which it was decided to send the Petitioners on compulsory leave.

14. In terms of statutory or legal framework, the Respondents did not equally declare under what particular provisions of law it could anchor its decision to send the Petitioners on compulsory leave.

15. They however contended that the continued stay in the workplace of the Petitioners would have compromised the investigations.

16. Article 236 of the Constitution afford public officers certain protections on before removal from office or on disciplinary process.

17. Article 41 of the Constitution also assure employees of fair labour practices.

18. Legally, it appears that the Respondents did not act lawfully or fairly in the case of the Petitioners as the investigations which precipitated the compulsory leave could as well have been carried out while they were in the workplace.

19. It is also noteworthy that the compulsory leave had no time frame thus legitimately leading the Petitioners to allege violations of their rights as employees/public officers.

20. On the concerns by the Respondents that investigations could not proceed with the Petitioners in the work place, the Court can only observe that an employee is also under an obligation to cooperate with the employer when the employer is carrying out investigations preliminary to a disciplinary process and during the disciplinary process, when it is initiated. Such cooperation is universally implied in all contracts of employment.

Conclusion and Orders

21. The declarations sought by the Petitioners were verbose to the extent of being imprecise. Court orders ought to be precise to ensure that an appropriate remedy striking at the legal injury or wrong established is granted.

22. The Court has also considered that Petitioners have continued to enjoy their remuneration.

23. In lieu of the declarations sought by the Petitioners, the Court orders

(i) A declaration do and is hereby issued that the decision to send the Petitioners on compulsory leave was unlawful.

(ii) The Petitioners to be allowed access to the individual work places forthwith.

(iii) The Petitioners to cooperate with the Respondents in the investigations being conducted which should be completed expeditiously.

24. Considering that there are subsisting employment relationships, the Court orders each party to bear own costs.

Delivered, dated and signed in Nakuru on this 7th day of December 2017.

Radido Stephen

Judge

Appearances

For Petitioners                                Mr. Kipkoech instructed by Gordon Ogola, Kipkoech & Co. Advocates

For 1st and 2nd Respondents         Mr. Karanja instructed by Mirugi Kariuki & Co. Advocates

For 3rd and 4th Respondents         Mr. Kimatta instructed by Kimatta & Co. Advocates

Court Assistant                               Nixon