Ex-Flutterwave Kenya worker loses $900,000 attraction towards fintech agency

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A former worker of Flutterwave, Clara Wanjiku Odero, has misplaced her attraction searching for $900,000 in damages towards the Pan-African fintech large.

The case, which dates again to Odero’s departure from Flutterwave in 2018, centered on claims of emotional misery and reputational harm.

As first reported by the Kenyan Wall Road, Odero, who beforehand served as Flutterwave’s Head of Implementation for Remainder of Africa, had accused her former employer of failing to take away her contact particulars from its M-Pesa Paybill account after her resignation.

In keeping with Odero, this oversight led to prospects persevering with to contact her about Flutterwave-related issues, inflicting her vital private misery.

The court docket’s ruling 

Regardless of her claims, the Kenyan Court docket of Enchantment upheld a decrease court docket ruling, awarding Odero a complete of Ksh. 250,000 (roughly $2,500), far lower than the $900,000 she had requested.

The damages included Ksh. 100,000 for emotional misery and Ksh. 150,000 as aggravated damages.

In his ruling on September 27, 2024, Justice Alexander Muasya famous that the unique award was applicable.

“The award in damages was capped at Ksh. 250,000 by the Justice of the Peace. I don’t discover purpose to disturb his discovering contemplating that there was no proof of lack of fame. The sum was cheap,” the court docket dominated.

  • The court docket discovered that Odero had failed to supply adequate proof to help her claims of reputational harm.
  • Moreover, she was unable to current medical or impartial documentation of the emotional misery she stated she skilled.
  • Because of this, the court docket concluded that there was no direct hyperlink between Flutterwave’s actions and any reputational hurt.
  • . The court docket dismissed Odero’s attraction and ordered her to pay Flutterwave’s authorized prices for the attraction course of.

Flutterwave’s response 

Flutterwave, one in all Africa’s most dear fintech corporations with a valuation exceeding $3 billion, had beforehand acknowledged the delay in updating Odero’s contact particulars however sought to resolve the difficulty amicably. The corporate expressed remorse over the state of affairs however denied allegations of bullying made by Odero towards its CEO, Olugbenga Agboola.

“As a company that repeatedly strives to create an surroundings the place staff really feel safe and protected, we take the current allegations of bullying from a former worker very severely,” Flutterwave acknowledged in an earlier launch.  

“We categorically state that there is no such thing as a place for bullying or harassment of any variety in our office,” it added.

What you need to know 

Amid the court docket case, Flutterwave, final 12 months introduced plans to speculate $50 million in Kenya as soon as it receives regulatory approval from the Central {Bank} of Kenya (CBK).

The funding, in keeping with the corporate, could be used to rent new employees and scale up Flutterwave’s infrastructure in Kenya.

As of September 2023, Flutterwave’s CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, stated the corporate already had over two dozen employees in Kenya.

“We’re very optimistic about Kenya and as soon as we get the license, our crew within the nation is able to deploy the very subsequent day,” stated Flutterwave CEO.

CBK in June this 12 months introduced plans to grant cost licences to {financial} expertise startups quickly, displaying the inexperienced gentle to Flutterwave and different cost corporations vying for licences within the nation.


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