A former General Manager at Equity Bank has failed in his attempt to reclaim his position, where he earned a monthly salary of nearly Ksh1 million, after the court sided with the bank that background checks were part of the recruitment process.
- •Benard Okoth Ambasa, who served for just a few weeks this year as the General Manager – Employee Relations at Equity Bank (Kenya) sought reinstatement to the lucrative Ksh 950,000-per-month position.
- •The bone of contention was Ambasa’s failure to disclose his role as a director at Yarrow Spa & Barber Shop, Dokam Travels and Roekam Executive Barbers & Spa.
- •The petition before the Employment and Labour Relations Court had sought wide-ranging reliefs including reinstatement, compensation for emotional distress.
“The termination was substantially per the express contractual provisions on background checks and termination of the contract during the probation period… The petitioner was misconceived in urging that he was entitled to a fair hearing in that respect,” Justice Byram Ongaya said in his ruling.
The Court ruled that Equity Bank acted within its legal and contractual rights when it terminated Ambasa’s employment during his probation period due to what it termed as “unsatisfactory background screening results.”
Ambasa’s employment was terminated in April 2025—barely two months after his official start date. The bank cited integrity concerns raised in a background screening by Spectrum Network International, which revealed undisclosed business interests. According to the lender, since he Ambasa had been employed as a general manager, ‘he was subject to background screening and enhanced screening.’
Ambasa contested the accuracy of the report, calling it “hastily compiled” and denying active involvement in some of the flagged entities. He had only disclosed two businesses and left out the others, some of which are considered high-risk businesses for money laundering by banking institutions.
According to the ruling, the termination complied with the probation clause in Ambasa’s contract. The court further ruled that the background check was part of the recruitment process, not a disciplinary matter, so there was no legal requirement for a hearing or notice beyond what was stipulated in the contract.