Former manager sues Unilever over ‘illegal’ sacking

A leading consumer products manufacturer has been sued by its former employee, seeking payment of Sh9.6 million as terminal dues.

Unilever Kenya Limited is accused by a former manager, Mr Thomas Mbugua, of illegally sacking him.

Mr Mbugua alleges that he was sacked after being commended by top managers for helping the company to achieve its 2011/12 business targets.

He received accolades from the regional supply vice-president after steering to success a project known as Vertice, says his lawyer in the court papers.

Mr Mbugua is asking the Industrial Court to hold that his rights were violated since he was sacked without being given a notice or being warned of the ills he might have committed.

He is seeking an award of Sh9,649,981 and payment of damages for harassment at the work place, malicious and unfair treatment, and mental and emotional anguish suffered.

The former manager claims that his sacking letter was signed by a person “not mandated under the company rules and regulations to terminate the services of any employee.”

He states that before he was sacked, he had been “verbally threatened that he would be sacked for poor performance by the engineer manager, Mr John Kimani.”

Mr Kimani allegedly signed the summary dismissal letter handed over to Mr Mbugua when he was “not authorised to do so.”

“The letter by Mr Kimani terminating my services was and is null and void ab initio (from the beginning) and I ask this court to so hold,” Mr Mbugua states in his pleadings to the court.

The claimant says he was not given an opportunity to defend himself and instead was locked out of the company premises.

The case will be heard on June 21 at the Industrial Court in Nairobi.