A city lawyer has successfully challenged her termination from employment over sexual harassment claims, which were based on her alleged references to a former colleague as "baby boy", "lollipop", and "baby boy lollipop." In a judgment delivered by the Nairobi Employment and Labour Relations Court, the court ruled that the sexual harassment allegations, which formed the basis of her dismissal, were malicious, unfounded and never occurred-or if they did, the alleged victim, Samfelix Randa, appeared to welcome them, given his failure to report the matter over one year and five months.
In a petition filed at the Nairobi Employment and Labour Relations Court in December 2022, Valarie Angawa, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, challenged her termination from employment by her former employer, Kituo Cha Sheria - Legal Advice Center.
She filed the case through the firm of Seko Minayo and Company Advocates. At the time of her termination in November 2022, Angawa was serving as the Coordinator of the Advocacy, Governance and Community Partnership (AGCP) Programme at Kituo Cha Sheria.
Angawa was terminated on the grounds that she had sexually harassed Randa, that her management style was characterised by micromanagement, favouritism and lack of collegiality, that she had breached the chain of command, and that she had contributed to bringing the organization into disrepute.
