Telposta Towers, the former headquarters of Telkom Kenya. PHOTO | FILE
Former Telkom Kenya employees have given the company a week to pay up Sh250 million, an initial settlement of the Sh1.4 billion severance dues negotiated in an out-of-court agreement last year.
The notification to Telkom follows a ruling by High Court Judge Alfred Mabeya dated April 7 this year, stating that the agreement is valid and binding on both the 997 former workers and the company.
“None of the parties can seek to escape from it. It has not been argued that it was obtained under circumstances that will vitiate a contract,” Judge Mabeya said in his ruling.
The former workers’ efforts to enforce the Deed of Settlement dated August 8, 2014 have been futile after Telkom disowned it and alleged it had not authorised its lawyer to enter into such an agreement.
The 997 former staff through lawyer Charles Kipkorir Koech said in the letter sent to Telkom that they will move to court seeking to recover the whole initial amount of approximately Sh3.5 billion plus interest to date should they fail to get a response from the company.
The High Court found that Telkom had acted discriminatorily in retrenching the workers in 2006. The decision was upheld by Court of Appeal judges in 2013, who directed Telkom to pay the employees Sh3.2 billion compensation.
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