Nine former workers at a Nairobi manufacturing company have filed a lawsuit alleging systematic underpayment, denial of leave, and exposure to dangerous working conditions without protective equipment over a four-year period.
The nine, who worked at Precise Printpack Limited claim they were unlawfully retained as casual workers despite continuous service, depriving them of statutory minimum wage entitlements and leave days.
One of the workers argued in her suit papers that her contract was abruptly terminated on September 2025 after working at the company for four years.
Her other colleagues filed similar suits through their lawyers Kariithi Njagi.
They sued Precise Printpack Limited directors Jayprakash P. Challa and Kalathil P. Dhananjayan.
According to court documents, one of them Miriam Nelima said she was employed as a general labourer performing cleaning, messenger duties, and production area assistance.
For over four years from January 2021 to February 2025 she was paid a daily wage of Sh500, significantly below the statutory minimum wage of Sh775.39 per day under the Regulation of Wages (General) Orders.
The claimant calculated that she worked 1,192 days during this period, resulting in underpayment of Sh328,264.44.
She alleged that she worked continuously for more than three months without formal conversion to term employment, contrary to Section 37 of the Employment Act.
It was only in March 2025 that she was issued a written contract with a monthly salary of Sh16,116.
Her employment was terminated on September 30, 2025, without notice or payment in lieu thereof, she claimed in the papers.
The former worker further alleged that she accrued 88 leave days between January 2021 and February 2025, valued at Sh68,234.32, which remains unpaid.
Although the company paid leave dues for March to September 2025 following a demand notice, she argued this constituted only a partial admission of liability.
She contended that throughout her employment she was routinely deployed to assist in the respondent’s manufacturing and production area, an environment involving machinery, dust, chemical exposure, and other occupational hazards.
Despite the hazardous nature of the work, she claimed the company failed to provide proper protective clothing and safety gear, including gloves, masks, overalls, and protective footwear.
She claimed she received no training on occupational safety.
“The Respondent’s failure to provide appropriate safety gear exposed the Claimant to health and safety risks and amounted to a violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2007 and the Claimant’s constitutional right to fair labour practices and human dignity under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010,” the statement of claim read.
She sought several remedies from the court, including a declaration that the underpayment and failure to provide safety gear constituted exploitation and unfair labour practices
She is also demanding Sh328,264 for underpayment of wages, Sh68,234 for unpaid accrued leave and Sh16,116 as one month’s salary in lieu of notice
She said following a demand notice served on January 29, 2026, the respondent made some payment for leave dues, which she interprets as an admission of liability, though insufficient to settle the full claim.
The other colleagues filed similar suits.
The matter has been filed in the Magistrate’s Court at Nairobi, Employment and Labour Relations Division.
The matters have been slated for hearing on various dates between April 20 and May 8, 2026.
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