A judge has agreed with Del Monte Kenya’s decision to fire accountant Catherine Ochako. She was dismissed for accessing the company’s payroll system without permission and changing her salary and benefits while she was on sick leave.
The court learned that Ms. Ochako changed her basic salary from Ksh 91,105 to Ksh 250,000, then lowered it to Ksh 170,000, and finally adjusted it to Ksh 200,000.
She also raised her housing allowance from Ksh 19,000 to Ksh 35,000 and changed her transport allowance from Ksh 7,500 to a vehicle allowance of Ksh 28,000.
These changes were found during a regular monthly check of the payroll, which led to her being fired in December 2020.
Ms. Ochako filed a lawsuit saying her firing was not legal and asked for Ksh 2 million in compensation, claiming that her changes were part of her normal salary checks.
However, Justice Byram Ongaya decided that her firing was fair because her wrongdoing was very clear.