Court stops Nakuru county from firing 24 employees

The Nakuru Employment and Labour Relations Court has issued interim orders preventing the Nakuru County Government from dismissing 24 employees.

The employees, who were hired as clerical officers in different job groups in 2014, claim to have served continuously on permanent and pensionable terms. They were dismissed in July this year when they received letters informing them that their employment would lapse on October 1, 2025.

However, on October 14, Justice Anna Mwaure issued conservatory orders stopping the County Government of Nakuru from ending the employees’ contracts, pending the hearing of their petition. This was after she found that the application raised arguable issues regarding the legality of their termination.

The 24 officers, represented by lawyer Gordon Ogola, accuse the county of unfair and unlawful termination. The letters, signed by the Chief Officer for Public Service and Devolution, Joseph Kibusia, cited contravention of Section 63 of the County Government Act as justification for the decision.

However, the workers insist that the county failed to explain how their appointments specifically violated that section of the law. The petitioners maintain that they had only recently been confirmed in their permanent roles, with effect from August 1, 2025, after many years of service, and were shocked to learn that these appointments were now being invalidated due to an alleged procedural error in their original hiring in 2014.

One of the petitioners told the court that he had been dismissed on the grounds of failing to collect his appointment letter, an accusation he said was untrue and intended to justify an unlawful action.

The disputed jobs date back to the early period of devolution, when many counties were formalising their staff structures. In Nakuru, some officers hired during that transition have experienced uncertainty regarding the validity of their employment.

The petitioners are now seeking a declaration from the court that the termination letters are null and void, on the basis that their rights under the Employment Act and the Constitution have been violated.

Justice Mwaure has directed that the case be mentioned again on October 29, 2025 for further directions.

This offers the affected workers temporary relief while the court prepares to hear arguments on the legality of their recruitment and confirmation. Those dismissed included clerical officers, senior office assistants and cleaning supervisors.