Clara Wanjiku Odero, a Kenyan tech founder and CEO of Softbank-backed Credrails, has lost her appeal against Pan African fintech Flutterwave.
Odero, a former employee of Flutterwave, had initially sought $900,000 in damages, claiming emotional distress and reputational damage after the fintech company failed to remove her contact details from its M-Pesa Paybill account following her departure in 2018.
As a result, customers continued to contact her regarding company-related issues long after she had left her role as Head of Implementation for Rest of Africa at Flutterwave.
The Court of Appeal, however, upheld the lower court’s decision, awarding Odero only Ksh. 100,000 for emotional distress and Ksh. 150,000 as aggravated damages— a total of Ksh. 250,000 (approximately $2,500), far from the $900,000 she had requested.
“The award in damages was capped at Ksh. 250,000 by the Magistrate. I do not find reason to disturb his finding considering that there was no proof of loss of reputation. The sum was reasonable.” Noted Justice Alexander Muasya in his ruling on Friday 27th September 2024.
Odero’s initial suit arose from Flutterwave’s alleged negligence in failing to remove her name from the company’s pay bill contact list after her resignation. This led to a series of inquiries from the fintech’s customers which she claimed caused her public embarrassment, emotional distress, and reputational damage.
However, the judge ruled that she was unable to provide medical or independent evidence supporting her claims. In response, the court determined that there was no causal link between Flutterwave’s negligence and any reputational harm.
Flutterwave, considered Africa’s most valuable fintech with a valuation exceeding $3 billion, had expressed regret over the delay in updating Odero’s contact details and had offered to settle the matter amicably.
The company denied Odero’s accusations, including claims of bullying by CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, stating:
“As an organisation that continuously strives to create an environment where employees feel secure and safe, we take the recent allegations of bullying from a former employee very seriously. We categorically state that there is no place for bullying or harassment of any kind in our workplace.”
Ultimately, the appellate court found no grounds to overturn the lower court’s ruling, stating that the damages awarded were sufficient for the emotional distress caused by the mix-up. The court dismissed Odero’s appeal and awarded Flutterwave the costs of the appeal.
Case Reference: Clara Wanjiku Odero -Vs- Flutterwave Payments Technologies Limited, Civil Appeal No. HCCA E197 of 2020.
