Union sues City Hall over unpaid salaries

City Hall is on the spot for failing to pay Nairobi county workers their four-month salaries amounting to over Sh765 million, instead of diverting the money to other purposes.

The disclosures of misappropriation at the county come after a suit was lodged in the Labour Court by the Nairobi branch of the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) seeking to compel Governor Ann Kananu’s administration to pay the workers their salary arrears with immediate effect.

The more than 11,000 workers, who went on a go-slow on Tuesday, are demanding the court’s intervention to have Kananu redress their grievances on delayed gross salaries from October last year to-date. 

The workers accuse the county government of failing to pay them their salaries, allowances and statutory deductions even after receiving Sh765 million from the Controller of Budget for payment of salaries, allowances, statutory deductions and remittances… as per individual contractual agreements,” reads the court papers.

The petitioners also accuse the Nairobi county government of diverting the money received from the Controller of Budget to other activities.

“It has been four months since Nairobi County started the said diversion of funds and this has seriously exposed the claimants’ members to unnecessary financial constraints… such as denial of loans by lending institutions,” the unions says.

The union is seeking an explanation from Kananu, Nairobi county public service board, county secretary Mohamed Sahal, Controller of Budget and Central Bank of Kenya, on why the employees have not been receiving their salaries yet these have been released by the National Treasury. The unions are seeking interim orders pending the hearing and determination of the suit.