An Employment and Labor Relations court has stopped Nairobi County from continuing with the intended recruitment of employees and conducting interviews scheduled for November 25,2021 to December.
Judge Stella Chemtai Ruto has suspended the move by the county to recruit staffs pending the hearing and determination of an application filed in court.
“The Respondents are hereby restrained from proceeding with the intended recruitment of employees and from conducting interviews specifically scheduled from 25th November, 2021 to 21st December, 2021,” reads the orders in parts.
The orders were issued after a successful application by two Kenya County Government workers Kennedy Malimo and Amos Otwal who are Assistant fire Officers in Nairobi County through their lawyer Kariuki Karanja against the Nairobi County Government.
Judge Chemtai at the same time directed the Applicant to serve the Application upon the County before close of business on 25th November, 2021.
The workers have contested that Nairobi County is embarking on recruitment contrary to Memorandum of Agreement dated 5th February 2020 between the Workers Union and the Nairobi County.
They added that in the aforesaid agreement, it has been agreed that the Nairobi county would undertake an analysis on promotions, stagnation and right placement.
They added that many workers in the County have worked for decades without job analysis and or promotions.
The workers are calling on the Nairobi County Public service Board to first look inward and audit its workforce/human resource before embarking on an expensive exercise of recruiting and training new staff.
Lawyer Kariuki added that the two applicants have been employees of the Nairobi County and they haven’t been promoted for the last 10years.
“Both Malimo and Otwal are seeking to be enjoined in the Petition, “added Kariuki.
The matter is scheduled for Mention on Monday 29th November 2021 when the court is expected to issue further directions. The interviews were scheduled to ran from 25th November 2021 to 21st December 2021. The Nairobi county will have to be patient until the court makes determination of the matter.
Kariuki says that Malimo has been an employee of the Nairobi County for more than 30years while Otwal has served the Nairobi County for more than 25 years.
Kenya County Government Workers Union is also an applicant in this matter against the County and its Public Service Boad.The two applicants made an application in the case that had been filed by the union on July 30,2021 and the orders has been granted in that application
