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ELRCOtherNot stated in extract

Mathenge & 16 others v Youth Enterprise Development Fund (Cause 6544 of 2020) [2024] KEELRC 2027 (KLR)

Employment and Labour Relations Court
2 August 2024
JRJames Rika
663 words in judgment
View original judgmentRead on Kenya Law Watch case
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The bottom line

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An Employment Court judge stepped aside from a 76-employee salary dispute because earlier contempt findings and appeal orders could compromise a fair hearing.

What this practically means

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Executive summary

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In this Employment and Labour Relations Court ruling, Justice James Rika recused himself from a substantive Claim previously the subject of interim orders. On 20th August 2021 the Court had directed the Respondent to revert to payment of the Claimants' prior salaries and to pay arrears, and had required the Respondent's CEO, HR Manager and Payroll Officer to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt for disobeying interim orders of 11th December 2020. The Respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal in Civil Application No. E 317 of 2021, and on 1st November 2021 the parties consented to stay the orders while at liberty to prosecute the substantive Claim before the E&LRC. Back before the E&LRC, parties reported settlement attempts, reinstatement of the Claimants on original terms, and reconstitution of the Respondent's Board, with one Claimant reportedly becoming CEO; the Claimants applied on 7th December 2023 to amend their Claim. The application was determined on pleadings and submissions. The Court held that the sequence of orders, the consent stay at the Court of Appeal, and the earlier contempt findings created doubt about its ability to regulate its own proceedings and deliver an objective outcome. Invoking Rule 38 of the E&LRC [Procedure] Rules, 2016, the Judge recused himself and ordered the Claim placed before the Presiding Judge, Claims Division, for reassignment to another Judge. The orders were released electronically at Nairobi on 2nd August 2024. No costs order appears in the extract, and no substantive determination of the Claim was made.

Questions the Court framed

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The issues the Court set itself to decide, in its own words.

  1. 1.Whether the Court should continue exercising jurisdiction over the substantive Claim after its interim orders were stayed by consent at the Court of Appeal and its contempt findings became subject of appellate proceedings
  2. 2.Whether the Judge should recuse himself and have the Claim reassigned

Key legal issues

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01

Recusal where the court's own orders are the subject of appellate stay and contempt proceedings

Holding

The Court recused itself because the applications, its own orders, and the consent orders at the Court of Appeal created doubt on its ability to regulate proceedings and give an objective outcome.

Reasoning

The court had found the Respondent's officers in apparent disobedience of interim orders; the parties then appealed and by consent stayed those orders while returning to the same court to prosecute the substantive Claim. The Judge held this state of affairs undermined the court's ability to manage its proceedings and produce an objective outcome, making recusal and reassignment the appropriate course rather than continuing to exercise jurisdiction.

p. 2

Legal principles established

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  • A trial court must be able to control its proceedings and be certain its orders will be obeyed; where compliance is doubtful, recusal and reassignment is appropriate.
  • The E&LRC regulates and manages its own proceedings under Rule 38 of its Procedure Rules, 2016.

Court orders

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  1. 1.The undersigned Judge hereby recuses himself from hearing the Claim
  2. 2.The Claim to be placed before the presiding Judge Claims Division, for reassignment before another Hon. Judge

The bench

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One judgment of the whole court — no separate or dissenting opinions.

JR
majority

Wrote the judgment

On appeal from
Court of Appeal
Civil Application No. E 317 of 2021
Jurisdiction invoked
Rule 38 of the Employment and Labour Relations Court [Procedure] Rules, 2016 - the Court shall regulate and manage its own proceedings

Quotable passages

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Verbatim from the judgment, each located to the page it appears on in the official PDF — so these can be cited and checked directly.

How will the Trial Court Control its proceedings, if it is not certain that its orders shall be obeyed by the Parties?
p. 3Court's authority to control its proceedings
The Court does not feel it should exercise its jurisdiction in the substantive dispute, while proceedings relating to its orders on the salaries of the Claimants, and on contempt proceedings, is the subject of appellate proceedings.
p. 3Recusal pending appellate proceedings on the court's orders
a. The undersigned Judge hereby recuses himself from hearing the Claim.
p. 3Final orders - recusal
b. The Claim to be placed before the presiding Judge Claims Division, for reassignment before another Hon. Judge.
p. 3Final orders - reassignment

Issues in the judgment

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minor

The judgment extract does not name the parties or the case number, referring to them only as 'the Claimants' and 'the Respondent'.

minor

Numbered paragraph in the disposition is printed as '149.' immediately after paragraph 17, an apparent typographical error.

Key timeline

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Practical implications

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Frequently asked questions

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Cite this brief

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Cite this brief

Caselaw, "Mathenge & 16 others v Youth Enterprise Development Fund (Cause 6544 of 2020) [2024] KEELRC 2027 (KLR)", Case Analysis (2024). Not stated in extract. Source: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/judgment/keelrc/2024/2027/eng@2024-08-02

Suggested citation format for research notes or client memos. Always verify the original judgment before relying on any point.