Christian blog posts

I worked for a company here in Nairobi for 22 yrs-and it was on continues contract renewals…Yes. i worked on contract for 22 yrs… (which i hear is against labor law). but when i was told they won’t renew my contract, after those yrs, they told me i am not entitled to benefits that people get after working for that long..i mean service money ( REASON-since i was on contract).I seem to have worked for 22 yrs for free… Recently, I tried engaging a lawyer, who promised to do pro-bono service for me…then i pay later. He wrote a demand letter to them.. which was replied to, but he told me he had engaged them, so that my issue is settled out of court.. that was in December 2023. Tried to call him to know more of the progress but he was not picking my calls…Since we had no agreement, I let him be…

In the reply to the demand letter, they said they used to pay NSSF and I’M not entitled to anything beyond that (since i was on contract)

I am saying this because i support the issue of NSSF deductions to something understandable, from the employer and employee. The 200 bob ,according to their reply, was all i was entitled to.

Someone, Kindly help me meet Atwoli or the labor minister? Is it possible that someone can work on contract for 22 yrs and not get a penny out of it for his services rendered?

My case is more complicated because i used to save too with the company sacco. By the time i was leaving employment ,i asked for a simple loan from the sacco to start life…100k (i had saved more than 300k) but i never got it—reason being (the employer never used to remit our money to the sacco, yet it was deducted from our salary monthly.. I have the pay slips as evidence…

So you can imagine with me leaving work….with no salary….and you cant get anything from your sacco to start life with-because the sacco managers kept telling me … the employer never used to remit our money…

I left work in March 17th 2020….and upto now my hands are tied from behind by the employer who never used to remit my money to the sacco-nor did he give me any service money to start life with- after those 22 years of service… Honestly, I am yearning to meet Mr Francis Atwoli or the labor minister, and hear from their mouth, if indeed it’s possible to work for 22 years on contract-and never get service pay (reason being, you were on contract)…

I can love to meet the director of co-operatives too on this sacco money…How can an employer deduct money from your money from your salary and not remit it, if i were to go by the Sacco Chairman’s version. just remember, after every contract ending, they never paid you anything before asking you to sign another contract…

Anyway, I thank God for life. Before leaving that company i had loved to work , and for those 22 yrs, anew manager who had been seconded to us looked me in the face and told me verbally,” Msitoke hapa alafu tusikie mumekufa? (don’t leave this place then we hear you’re dead…. Apparently, one of the employees we started work with and who worked for 20yrs too.. Paul by name, had died after leaving the company… This man was so provocative to me like all he wanted was for me to talk to him badly, so that he finds a reason to sack me…

I had really loved working for this company 4 those yrs ,then suddenly, hostility comes suddenly. Since I am not gifted in abusing people, and as a servant of God, I remember bursting into tear in his office when he tried to provoke me more. I had nothing to tell him but just cry. Apparently the company had changed hands (under the table), and old staff, according to my judgement,had no place in their new vision

In my house later, I cried to God and asked him …if my time in this company was done, to let me not be provoked to the point of talking badly to the people in authority in this company..I asked God to let me leave in peace? I told him to help me with what to do because i don’t know what to do…. After that prayer, the next day the manager called me to give me that letter to say my contract wont be renewed and i had to take leave immediately… They thanked me for the 22 years of service and i thanked God in my heart that he heard my prayer and gave me the answer . I was to leave on may 1st but since i had a lot of leave days-and they didn’t want to pay me for the same,i had to be let go by 20th march,so that those leave days may count.. That was on 19 th March 2020-and by then, my February Salary had not been paid, so even thinking of march salary was a mirage. They wrote in the letter that i will come collect it when handing over in 1st may 2020

Talk of leaving a company you worked for for those many years, with nothing in your pocket… I never saved anywhere else… All my saving were in the sacco…but oh.. even 20bob you cant get it. Funny enough, as i realized later,God even was working on this,so that they may clear me well because if i had stayed until may,they would have used covid as areason of terminating employment and kept pending…but who is our God…Even in their arrogance,he was interested in me,because i had asked him to let me clear well with this people and leave in peace…Today i hv all documents of clearance and a certificate of service, so no one can come to say Alex was a thief or whatever

Anyway, with an empty pocket, and a hostile former employer, I had to run to people. I tell you i talked to so many people…In church i even ran to those who say on radio and TV they have a ministry for men–but oh…all i got was an aloofness. Some people in church would listen to me and tell me to go for counseling…i wondered why listen to me as i ask you for food to eat, and you are here sending me to counseling.. Have you ever talked to people but they cant get it?… I tried to run to a church person whom i knew was a lawyer and could help me-he listened and suddenly became silent on me. I could call just wishing to have him help me here,but he created a distance. I really felt hurt but what can you do.I am not naturally a mean person..i know i am generous and within that period of time of work, i helped so many people…so i ran to those i had helped before in some way-but they created a rift… Suddenly i was alone. Naturally,you think in your mind that the people you helped with be the first to jump up when you ask them to help you but i tell you the truth,they ran away…majority..Some could not even receive your calls later, after knowing your needs. Some people could wonder how can you say you worked for 22 yrs and they haven’t even thought of giving you a send off…?They would ask,were you sacked,but when i told them NO,they would just look at me with those suspicious eyes. They thought me a lier… I cried like a baby while lying on my bed that whole week. God seemed so far but i was sure he was with me…

It’s during those moments of argony that our former president locked the country in April 1st 2020 and people were to stay indoors… Can you imagine having nothing in your pocket…tearing and wondering what next-then President Kenyatta closes the doors of movement from April 1st 2020… You feel like the Job of the bible moment has been sent to you! Maybe the one who thought of dearth,at this moments,was really expecting news-remember they had not given me even my salary of February 2020…and i left in mach 20-2020…with nothing..They later paid it when i came for clearance in September…not the may 1st that i was to clear..

Honestly, I used to think depression was for other people but i was there. I was nearly knocking down but God held me. I told him i cant fulfill the prophecy of that manager of dying after leaving this company. If he takes care of the birds,why not me? -then out of the blues, one of my fb friends living in the USA Called me and told me God told her to give me something… She sent me 5k…another one paid my rent for 3 month…my former boss…one who had left before also stood as an angel of God for me…May God bless her for me.

I was never afraid of COVID and it never even approached me …I never even took those vacines… not even one. It was hunger that would have killed me but God and his mercy kept me from the list of dearth …either by hunger of covid.. Sincerely, I always think of God and see atear or two. This is not to mean I am one of his best sons-maybe I AM the worst of them all–but his hand of love never left me during the Covid season…I knew God was in control, and from then upto now, i have been supplied for by our God in ways i cant explain…. Psalms 34:4-8 says “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!..God heard me and helped me.May he help those going through such situations in Jesus name.God bless you