Sakaja Could Spend Six Months in Jail Over Ignored Workers’ Agreement

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is facing potential contempt of court charges after the Kenya County Government Workers Union filed a case over his failure to implement a binding workers’ agreement.

The union has requested the Employment and Labour Relations Court to summon Sakaja and five senior county officials, accusing them of ignoring court orders to enforce a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was registered in May 2025. The union claims this inaction violates workers' rights and undermines the judiciary’s authority.

The dispute stems from a court ruling in November 2024, which invalidated advisories issued by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and reaffirmed workers' right to collective bargaining. The court ordered that the negotiated CBA be resubmitted to the SRC for advice, and if that failed, be registered for enforcement. The agreement was officially registered on 28 May 2025.

According to Section 59 of the Labour Relations Act, once a CBA is registered, it becomes part of the workers’ contracts and must be implemented. However, despite confirming the CBA’s validity, Nairobi County has yet to act on it. Union officials argue that the delay has caused financial hardship for over 10,000 workers who had expected better terms.

County officials attribute the delay to administrative issues within the Ministry of Public Service and Human Capital Development, including the failure to upload the agreement into the Human Resource Information System. They claim to have written several letters to the ministry seeking resolution, but the union disputes this explanation, insisting that the law does not excuse delays caused by administrative challenges.

A ruling on the contempt application is expected on 13 February.