Former State House Digital Strategist Dennis Itumbi has been awarded Sh630,000 for unfair dismissal from State House at the height of a fallout between retired president Uhuru Kenyatta and his successor William Ruto.
Itumbi was fired on March 18, 20202 on account of abolition of office, after working for the state for five years and eight months. Labour Court judge Jacob Gakeri has ruled that the government did not comply with the employment law.
“The respondents may have had a valid and fair reason to terminate the petitioner’s employment but did not comply with the requirements of the provisions of the Employment Act, 2007, to guarantee procedural fairness in the process,” Gakeri said.
Itumbi, James Kinyua, Erick Ng’eno, David Nzioka and John Ndolo were declared redundant through a circular by the then Head of Civil service Joseph Kinyua to former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi.
“The contracts of the under-listed officers be terminated in accordance with the termination clause in their contracts to facilitate payment of gratuities on pro-rata basis,” read the circular.
The abolished positions were Senior Director, Communication (Digital, Innovation and Diaspora Communication); Senior Director, Communication (Events and Branding); Senior Director, Communication (Speech Writing); Director, Communication (Events and Branding) and Principal Information Officer (Head of Digital Strategies).
Itumbi has since made his way back to State House and is one of the officers who has the president’s ear.
