Nairobi,KENYA:Winfred Njoki Clarke is a happy woman after a civil court in Nairobi ordered a compensation of 3 million for humiliation she suffered on March 19 1998 at The Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi.
Njoki told the court that the she had gone to Intercontinental hotel to have a drink but she could not be served on grounds that she wasn’t in the company of a man.
According to court documents, the hotel failed to serve Njoki saying that she had to pay for a cover charge , a charge that was put on non residents of the hotel.
Njoki further argued that she was kicked out and dismissed as a sex worker hunting for clients and the high end hotel and was kicked out .
“A security guard pulled me outside the hotel because I refused to pay the cover charge. I was denied an opportunity to sit at the lounge and when I ended up outside and boarded a taxi, the driver was ordered not to carry me,” Clarke stated in her court papers.
Njoki later told the court that she was unlawfully detained for two days at Central police station without any charges being pressed against her.
Njoki who is a married woman told the court that she spent two days at the hotel and efforts by her husband to have her released on bail failed.
In their defence the hotel argued that Njoki’s behavior was unruly and could only be intervened by using police an argurment dismissed by Justice Mbogholi who observed that the action of the Intercontinental personnel tainted the image and reputation of Winfred Njoki citing there was no notice that women unaccompanied by men were liable to cover charges.
“It was therefore within her right to ask what this “cover charge” was? Instead of an answer, she was dragged out of the hotel and ended up in a police station”, said Justice Mbogholi while delivering her verdict.
Njoki had also sued the attorney general who has been ordered to pay her sh 1 million as damages.
