In a landmark ruling, the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisumu affirmed that employees can sue their bosses for underpayment and that paying below the statutory minimum wage is unlawful. This decision stemmed from a case involving a domestic worker who sought legal redress for underpayment and unfair termination.

• A domestic worker, employed for six years at a monthly salary of Ksh4,000, successfully sued her employer for underpayment, house allowance, leave pay, and termination benefits.
• The court, presided over by Justice Jacob Gakeri, ruled that workers cannot be paid below the legal minimum wage, and employers must formally terminate employment and demonstrate efforts to contact employees who desert duty.
• The worker was awarded a total of Ksh569,717.48 for various claims including house allowance, leave pay, and salary in lieu of notice, with the court stressing that annual leave is a statutory right.