Female staff seeks USD550,000 after Bank CEO demanded she sleeps with him or face the sack, when she refused he wrestled her to the ground, kicked her private parts and punched her breasts severally

Asanta Samantha Luku, a manager in the mortgage section has filed a suit at the Employment and Labour Relations Court complaining that Mr Musau has threatened to sack her if she does not give in to his sexual advances, a local daily reported.

She claims that the HR department has asked her to withdraw a complaint she has filed on the matter.

“The second respondent (Mr Musau) summoned me to his office and told me that I had emerged the best in the interview and had been recommended for appointment…the second respondent said my letter of acceptance was on his desk awaiting his signature without which I could not get the job,” she claims in an affidavit.

Ms Luku who wants the court to restrain the CEO from harassing her sexually says in her affidavit Mr. Musau gave her two options either sleep with him or face the sack.

“He said that if I wanted the job then I should have sex with him,” she claims in a detailed affidavit that vividly describes the alleged ordeal she suffered in the hands of the top-most officer at the Nairobi Securities Exchange listed bank.

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Mr Musau, joined the Bank in September 2015 and in 2016 was handed a five year term as CEO after holding the position in an acting capacity for seven months.

This is after Munir Sheikh Ahmed was sacked by the board together with five other senior managers.

To support her case, Ms Luku has attached email correspondence, screenshots of Mr Musau’s messages and calls, statements she recorded with the police and hospital records.

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She alleges that he started by calling her to his office and remarking that she was very beautiful and should be his girlfriend.

He would also sometimes make late night calls to repeat the comments.

On October 25, he allegedly called her and demanded that she meet him the following day without fail to discuss and finalise her pending appointment.

The meeting lasted until about 10 in the night when he allegedly pulled his chair close to her, got hold of her and attempted to touch her private parts, at which point she jumped out of her seat.

“He pulled me back and wrestled me to the ground and kicked my private parts and punched my breasts several times,” she claims.

She later reported the ordeal at Hardy Police Station before proceeding to Nairobi Hospital where she was treated for injuries.

Apart from seeking to protect her Job, Ms Luku also wants to be awarded Sh55 million in damages.

National Bank and Mr Musau have been listed as the respondents in the case though they are yet to respond, but court records show they have appointed a law firm to represent them.