KEWOTA dismisses Donald Oricho over fraud, misconduct and cyber harassment claims
The Mt Kenya Times 
Benta Opande, CEO, KEWOTA
The Kenya Women Teachers Association has terminated a long-serving employee after investigations exposed a web of fake government officers, missing millions, and a digital smear campaign against its leadership.
By: John Kariuki | The Mt Kenya Times
The Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) has dismissed Mr. Donald Omondi Oricho for gross misconduct, fraudulent conduct and breach of trust, following a series of disciplinary hearings that laid bare serious financial and ethical violations.
Internal memos and dismissal letters reviewed by The Mt Kenya Times show that Oricho, who joined KEWOTA as a driver in 2018 and later took on the additional role of head of security, stood accused of a brazen confidence scheme. He allegedly introduced strangers to the association’s leadership as officers of the National Intelligence Service, then solicited millions of shillings on the pretext of renewing a government operational code — a process that, investigators established, does not exist. “Independent confirmation from relevant government offices established that no such code renewal process exists,” KEWOTA stated in its termination letter dated October 13, 2025.
The receipts, predictably, never came. Nor did any documentation to account for the funds. When the association pressed him, Oricho turned combative. During disciplinary hearings, he was described in the record as “abrasive, callous, defiant and disrespectful,” and he reportedly warned the leadership that he would “deal with” them using NIS and Directorate of Criminal Investigations connections. KEWOTA has since resolved to pursue recovery of more than KES 7 million allegedly obtained through those fraudulent claims.
“We cannot and will not retain an employee whose actions violate the trust reposed in them.” — Benta Opande, CEO, KEWOTA
The affair then migrated from boardrooms to police stations. KEWOTA’s CEO, Benta Opande, began receiving threatening messages from phone numbers traced to individuals in Oricho’s orbit. Officers at Githurai and Kilimani police stations received formal reports documenting allegations of obtaining money by false pretenses and cyber harassment. Oricho was arrested, released, and issued an apology — one he subsequently retracted, claiming he had been coerced into making it.
What followed elevated the matter from a workplace dispute into a full legal confrontation. Documents from Alakonya & Associates Advocates LLP reveal that KEWOTA issued cease-and-desist notices to Oricho and his associates, among them education activist Peter Amunga. The allegation: that the group had unlawfully accessed confidential records from the laptop of Oricho’s late brother, who had worked as a KEWOTA accountant, and distributed the material across multiple WhatsApp groups. “Your actions constitute serious violations of the law, including offences under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018,” the firm warned. The matter was simultaneously reported to the DCI.
The complaint to the DCI went further, alleging that Oricho had weaponised sensitive financial records in a deliberate campaign to damage the institution. “The dissemination is deliberate, sustained, and calculated to distort facts, propagate false narratives, and malign the reputation and integrity of KEWOTA and its CEO,” Alakonya & Associates wrote. “KEWOTA has suffered reputational erosion, institutional destabilisation, and unwarranted public scrutiny.”
Labour law experts say the termination stands on solid ground. Section 44 of the Employment Act, 2007 permits summary dismissal where an employee is guilty of gross misconduct, fraud, or a fundamental breach of trust. “An employer cannot retain an employee whose actions undermine its integrity and expose it to reputational risk,” said a Nairobi-based labour lawyer familiar with the statute. “The law is clear that dishonesty and threats to leadership are grounds for immediate dismissal.”
The digital dimension of the case is equally significant. Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems, unlawful interception of data, and publication of false information. By allegedly extracting confidential data from a deceased colleague’s device and circulating it selectively, Oricho’s alleged conduct sits squarely within the law’s reach — a law designed for precisely these circumstances as digital misconduct grows more common in professional settings.
For Opande, the battle has been as personal as it is institutional. Sustained attacks on her character have exposed her to suspicion within both professional and public circles. She has not wavered. “We cannot and will not retain an employee whose actions violate the trust reposed in them,” she said in a statement. The Executive Committee echoed that resolve, noting in its summary dismissal letter: “We regret that this course of action has become necessary, but reiterate that KEWOTA upholds the highest standards of accountability, professionalism, and ethical conduct.”
The wider lesson is one that civil society associations across Kenya ignore at their peril. WhatsApp groups — closed communities where information travels faster than context — have become fertile ground for the kind of misinformation campaign allegedly waged against KEWOTA. Once confidential records are weaponised and circulated, correction is slow and correction is hard. The association’s response has consequently been multi-pronged: dismissal, recovery proceedings, legal notices, and formal complaints to law enforcement, with civil action reserved as a further option. “All rights and remedies available to the organisation are hereby expressly reserved,” KEWOTA stated in its termination letter.
KEWOTA now turns to the harder work of rebuilding. As an organisation whose credibility is its most valuable currency — it depends on member trust and donor confidence to advocate for the welfare of women teachers — the road ahead demands not only legal redress but a renewed and visible commitment to transparent governance. The case of Donald Oricho will serve as a reference point long after the DCI concludes its investigations: a demonstration that internal misconduct, however brazen, will be met with the full force of institutional and legal consequence.
Fraud was his instrument. Digital platforms were his weapon. But KEWOTA’s ledger is now clear, and its message is unambiguous: those who exploit trust do not merely lose their jobs — they face the law.
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