Corporate News
KenolKobil CEO David Ohana. Photo/FILE
NATION MEDIA GROUP
By BRIAN WASUNA
In Summary
- The staff were afraid that they would lose their jobs if the takeover bid was successful, though it later collapsed.
KenolKobil
CEO David Ohana has been fined Sh1 million after the Industrial Court
found him guilty of sacking employees of the company in disregard of a
court order.
KenolKobil employees had obtained a court order which
stopped Mr Ohana from sacking staff involved in a suit in which they
were opposed to a takeover of the oil marketer by Swiss firm Puma
Energy.
The staff were afraid that they would lose their jobs if the takeover bid was successful, though it later collapsed.
According to the applicants, Mr Ohana went ahead to
terminate the contracts of four employees — Annette Ounga, Abigail
Bundi, Gerald Wamayah and Joseph Gatuma.
“I have arrived at the conclusion that David Ohana
knowingly and wilfully violated the said orders and cite him for
contempt of court.
‘‘I direct that he shall pay a fine of Sh1 million
and in default he shall be committed to civil jail for 30 days,” said
Justice Linet Ndolo in her ruling.
She added that the terminations, despite being a
result of a review of the company’s operations, were directly linked to
the suit which saw the company restrained from sacking the employees.
Philip Otenyo, one of the applicants, had stated in
his affidavit that they had served Mr Ohana with court orders alongside
a notice of penal consequences should he fail to abide by the orders.
This, according to Mr Otenyo, did not stop Mr Ohana from terminating the services of the four employees.
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