“I came to your office when I had lost hope and you solved my complaint in a month. Your actions helped me, I got justice as I was paid my share,” these are the words of a widow, Monica (not her real name), a beneficiary of Ombudsman services.
According to Monica, her husband who worked with a private security firm died in the line of duty during the terrorist attack at the DusitD2 Hotel, Nairobi, on January 15, 2019. However, the Chief of Bosamaro Chache Location, Nyamira County, wrote a letter to the management of the security firm claiming that the deceased was not married and that the deceased’s mother was the sole beneficiary of his estate. The action of the chief to disinherit her prompted Monica to lodge a complaint with the Commission on 11th November 2019.
The Commission took up the matter which led to the cancellation of payment of benefits which had been done in the name of Monica’s mother-in-law by the firm and compelled the chief to write another letter recognising Monica as the widow of the deceased.
Further, the Nyamira County Commissioner, on the request of the Commission held a meeting with both Monica and her mother-in-law where the two parties agreed that Monica was indeed the deceased’s widow. The benefits were consequently shared between the two parties as per the Workers Injury Benefits Act, 2007.
