Catherine Ochako
A rogue staff member was fired by Del Monte Kenya after pulling off one of the boldest self-promotions in payroll history, adjusting her salary from Ksh 91,105 to Ksh 200,000.
While on sick leave, Ms. Catherine Ochako decided her paycheck needed a serious boost. She first raised her salary to Ksh 250,000, then reconsidered and lowered it to Ksh 170,000 before finally settling on a cool Ksh 200,000 after what must have been a very strategic negotiation—with herself.
To match her new financial status, she also upgraded her housing allowance from Ksh 19,000 to Ksh 35,000 and swapped her Ksh 7,500 transport allowance for a Ksh 28,000 vehicle allowance.
Her financial glow-up was, however, short-lived. A routine payroll review exposed the well-executed heist, and Del Monte promptly dismissed her in December 2020. But Ochako wasn’t ready to let go—she sued the company for Ksh 2 million, claiming the unauthorized changes were just part of her “regular payroll checks.”
Yesterday, Justice Byram Ongaya shut down her ambitious career move, ruling that her misconduct was “clearly established.” And just like that, the dream of instant wealth via Microsoft Excel came to an abrupt end.
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