Court pardons KNUN's Seth Panyako, 2 others in contempt case

KNUN Secretary-General Seth Panyako addresses reporters outside the Milimani Law Courts after he and two other officials were pardoned in the contempt case over the nurses' strike, February 26, 2019. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

A court has pardoned Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary-General Seth Panyako and two other officials who had been found guilty of contempt.

The three were found guilty of this offence for failing to call off the nurses' strike despite being directed to do so.

The government filed the contempt case on February 15 after KNUN members failed to return to work as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

At the time, Mr Panyako maintained the strike would go on and said he had no powers to call it off since it had been called by the unions in the counties.

Mr Panyako and the two other officials were asked to appear in court in person on Tuesday for their punishment to be stated.

They told Labour court justice Nelson Abuodha that they had not been served with court documents and that they had called off the strike.

Justice Abuodha pardoned them but warned that they would be punished in future if they disregarded court orders.