Nairobi, June 10 -- A court has ruled that government debts and Covid-19-era cash-flow problems do not absolve employers of their obligation to pay workers, ordering a local engineering firm to settle more than Sh24.6 million owed to a former Ethiopian engineer.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court said employers remain liable for workers' dues despite delays in government payments or broader economic shocks.

The court ordered Gibb Africa Limited to pay former senior engineer Woldeyesus Shimeles Makonen Sh5 million in salary arrears and $151,054 (Sh19.4 million) in unpaid gratuity after finding that the company failed to prove it had settled the dues.

The company had argued that delayed payments from government agencies, which for...