The court has ordered Safaricom to pay a blind man Sh6 million for failing to hire him. Wilson Macharia, an ICT graduate, sued the Nairobi-headquartered giant telecommunications company for violating his rights and discrimination.
The petitioner told High Court Justice James Makau that Safaricom declined to employ him as a customer care executive on grounds that it did not have specialized software to help him with his work.
The judge ruled that the mobile service provider violated Macharia’s rights and failed to treat him with dignity by denying him an opportunity despite interviewing and inviting him to sign an employment contract.
Safaricom in its defense denied discriminating against the plaintiff, arguing that it allowed him to be interviewed for the job. The company further noted that the lack of specialized software would make it difficult for Macharia to work.
But the court heard that Safaricom rejected Macharia’s request to use his personal citing safety reasons and the need to protect personal data and information from calls, SMS, and MPesa transactions in line with the data protection laws.
“I find that the Respondent’s excuse to be an afterthought that was introduced late to the detriment of the Petitioner. The Respondent knew right from the beginning that the Petitioner’s work called for software, yet they took him through all recruitment steps,” Justice Makau ruled.
