The Employment and Labour Relations Court has ordered Mediheal Group of Hospitals to compensate 63 Indian medical professionals Sh422 million for unlawful dismissal and salary arrears.
Justice Anna Ngibuini Mwaure delivered the judgment on June 12, 2025, stating that the hospital’s sustained failure to pay salaries “goes to the root of the contract” and constituted constructive dismissal. She emphasized, “When employers withhold pay for months, they leave employees vulnerable and professionally stranded.”
The doctors, who worked across Mediheal’s facilities in Kenya and Rwanda including its dialysis, diagnostics, and fertility units filed the case in early 2024. After months of unpaid wages and silence from the hospital’s leadership, they turned to the courts. Before that, they had attempted arbitration, as stipulated in their contracts, but Mediheal failed to respond.
Their representative, Mr. Girija Ballav Mahapatra, provided the court with employment contracts and email correspondence from Mediheal chairman and former Kesses MP, Dr. Swarup Mishra. These documents acknowledged delayed payments yet offered no resolution.
Justice Mwaure didn’t mince words, the hospital’s conduct not only violated employment law but also exposed systemic failings. She ruled that the 63 medics would receive Sh278.8 million in salary arrears, Sh50.3 million for three months’ notice, and Sh93.8 million in general damages.
Notably, Mediheal did not contest the case. The court interpreted the hospital’s silence as an implicit admission of wrongdoing. “Their inaction further validates the legitimacy of the claims,” the ruling stated.
This decision marks a significant win for expatriate workers, particularly in sectors where legal protections are often elusive. Labor analysts say the ruling sets a powerful precedent in enforcing employer accountability, especially for foreign professionals who may fear retaliation or lack local recourse.
As of this publication, Mediheal has not released an official statement regarding the judgment.
