Senate Demands Over Sh9 Million Compensation For Wrongfully Dismissed KBL Workers

The Senate has demanded compensation for 125 former employees of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) who were wrongfully dismissed more than two decades ago.

Through a motion by the Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, chaired by Senator Julius Recha Murgor, lawmakers are pushing for the workers to be paid Sh9,180,675 and one month’s salary each, as earlier ordered by the High Court in 2003.

The motion, tabled in the Senate on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, follows months of investigations and engagements with relevant stakeholders. It was seconded by Kajiado Senator Kanar Seki Lenku.

The petition was initially presented by Mr. Lawrence Ndutu on behalf of the affected employees. Despite the court’s ruling in their favor, the committee found that the compensation has never been fully honored.

The report sharply criticized both legal teams involved — Kaplan & Stratton Advocates, who represented KBL, and Harrison Kinyanjui Advocates, who represented the workers — for failing to ensure the court’s decision was properly implemented. The committee revealed that discharge vouchers signed during a consent settlement omitted the one-month salary per worker that had been awarded in the original judgment.

Senator Murgor, while moving the motion, said it was time the Senate acted to deliver justice to the petitioners. The committee described Kaplan & Stratton’s position that the case was fully settled as “misleading and dishonest.”

It also found Harrison Kinyanjui guilty of professional misconduct for failing to act in the best interest of his clients. The Advocates Complaints Commission (ACC) was further criticized for its initial failure to act, only reopening investigations after the Senate intervened.

Among the key recommendations is that Harrison Kinyanjui Advocates must now file monthly progress reports on a fresh court application lodged in May 2025 to enforce payment of the outstanding amount. The motion also calls on Kaplan & Stratton Advocates to pay the one-month salary owed, describing the move as morally right even if not legally enforceable.