Ex-PS Lilian Omollo awarded one shilling for unfair dismissal

• Ex-PS Omollo and others are facing fraud charges related to Sh167 million National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.
• In April 2020, Omollo suffered a blow when the High Court ordered her to forfeit Sh33.6 million to the state after she failed to convince the court about the source of wealth.
• nominal damages are a little sum of money that is awarded to the plaintiff when the defendant has violated the plaintiff's legal rights, but there is no actual financial loss.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court on Thursday, October 22 awarded former Youth and Gender PS Lillian Omollo one shilling for unlawful dismissal.

Delivering her ruling, Justice Stephen Radido said that Omollo's dismissal from office back in June 2018 was unconstitutional, therefore awarding her a nominal Sh1 for the violation of her rights.

Justice Radido said that Omollo was not subjected to due process and that she was not given reasons for her removal from office by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

However, the judge said that Sh1 was enough compensation for Omollo because she was found with wealth she could not explain.

According to Fordham Law Review, nominal damages are a little sum of money that is awarded to the plaintiff when the defendant has violated the plaintiff's legal rights, but the plaintiff has not suffered any actual financial loss.

Corruption charges

Omollo and others are facing fraud charges related to Sh167 million National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.

In April 2020, Omollo suffered a blow when the High Court ordered her to forfeit Sh33.6 million to the state.

According to Justice Mumbi Ngugi, the funds held in bank accounts in the name of Omollo and her three daughters were proceeds of crime because the family failed to explain the source.

The court could not buy into Omollo's explanation that the source of funds is from the produce of a farm that grows vegetables in greenhouses owned by Sahara Consultants and her husband Dick Ochieng' in Siaya.