- He says his dismissal was illegal because it was not done by the Public Service Commission and that he was not granted a fair hearing
- So dramatic was the sacking that he did not even hand over government items. He fears the items could bring him legal troubles in future
When Andrew Ng’ang’a secured a job as a prison warden 33 years ago, he believed his life had changed and hoped to start a family.
While the job provided financial and emotional security during his youth, it plunged him into frustrations later in life.
The 57 year-old father of three children aged 22, 20 and 13 was dismissed from the service in 2001 for absconding duty.
The dismissal letter was sent to his mother in his Githunguri village and attempts at appealing the verdict were unsuccessful.
He says his dismissal was illegal because it was not done by the Public Service Commission and that he was not granted a fair hearing.
So dramatic was the sacking that he did not even hand over government items. He fears the items could bring him legal troubles in future.
“I was unfairly sacked due to malice and I had no money and exposure at the time to fight for my rights in court. I need help,” he said.
Ng'ang'a says his woes started after a series of sexual harassment from female bosses.
His first work station was Industrial Area Remand Prison.
Months into the job, he was diagnosed with TB, a disease that took a toll on his health.
“The prison cells at the time were so congested, making the airbone disease common,” he says.
Ng'ang'a was granted six months sick leave and when he went back to work, a doctor recommended that he be assigned lighter duties.
It is at this point that he was transferred to the radio room.
Young, unmarried and good-looking, Ng'ang'a says sexual harassment plagued him.
He says department bosses solicited and demanded sexual favours in exchange for services.
The former warden says a senior female boss tried to persuade him to sleep with her but he put her off.
“I respectfully stated that is not what brought me here. I would never dare do that,” he says.
Angered by rejection, the woman swore to make Ng'ang'a pay.
“She used colleagues to provoke me and took me through numerous disciplinary hearings but I was lucky to survive all of them,” he says.
“She also swore to get me sacked for turning down her sexual advances."
Ng'ang'a was later transferred to Lang’ata. But his misery did not end.
His former boss sent him messages through other wardens, telling him he has not forgotten the humiliation and that she will make sure he loses his job.
“Majority of wardens in Lang'ata are women. Male officers were few and held senior positions," Ng'ang'a says.
The incident that eventually got him fired was a tussle over leave.
When he went on leave, his bosses wrote a letter saying he had absconded duty and sent the letter to his rural home.
Ng'ang'a says he has reached out to the Ombudsman, the Law Society of Kenya and civil society groups for justice without success.
“I have been following up this case for the past 23 years in vain. I even brought the matter to the attention of former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i. No office has given me any hope of getting justice,” he says.
“I don’t know where the problem is and that is why I want well-wishers to help me file a case in court.”