Family of man who died at steel company receives 420K compensation, demands more

Caleb Otieno, an employee of Thika-based Blue Nile Rolling Mills Ltd, died after falling into a vat of hot steel last month, and his family is embroiled in a legal battle with his employer over compensation.

The compensation talks appear to have broken down, according to Otieno’s father, Mr Martin Oraro, 74, who told the Daily Nation in an interview yesterday. Given the tragic manner in which his son died, he described the amount offered by the firm as a mockery to the family.

“After I was informed my son had died, I travelled all the way from Kisumu to Thika. I met the management of the company where my son was working. I was accompanied by my family members and in the meeting was the human resources manager of the company, the managing director, and the Thika DCIO Joseph Thuvi.

“The company offered me Sh100,000, and when I asked them about the compensation, the HR manager told me that they would compensate me with a third of Sh21,000 that my son was earning per month for the five years he worked as a permanent employee. That is the last thing I heard from the company,” Mr Oraro said.

”They told me this would translate to Sh7,000 per month. When my other son, John Agwambo, did the calculations, we realised the compensation would be Sh420,000 for all the five years he worked there as a permanent employee, yet it is safety negligence at the company that made my son die. We felt ridiculed and denied justice,” Mr Oraro added.

Three little sacks of remains retrieved from the boiler will be buried by the family. Otieno was 34 years old when he died.

“We managed to retrieve some few joint bones and a few teeth that we will bury this Saturday. We have preserved them at General Kago Funeral Home in Thika. We feel frustrated and we will be moving to court after the burial,” Mr Agwambo told the Nation.Africa on Tuesday.

Blue Nile Wire Products Ltd, a barbed wire maker, has a sister company, Blue Nile Rolling Mills Ltd. The Blue Nile Group owns and manages both companies.

Blue Nile Rolling Mills, which produces steel products under the Kifaru brand, recently announced that it has secured Sh862 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Otieno’s family had earlier stated that his death was suspicious to Nation.Africa. According to his family, Otieno was either shoved into the metal boiler or the company’s safety requirements caused him to die.

When the media attempted to contact Blue Nile Rolling Mills Ltd for comment, the firm denied to comment on the incident.