High Court Orders immediate Arrest of Mombasa County Senior Officials[ LIST].
High Court Orders immediate Arrest of Mombasa County Senior Officials: The High Court in Nairobi on Friday issued arrest warrants for Mombasa County Executive Member for Finance, Evans Oanda, and Chief Officer for Finance, Gloria Mwasi.
This decisive move is in response to their failure to settle a longstanding judgment debt owed to Associated Automobile Distributors (K) Limited which has now accumulated to over Kshs. 67 million.
Justice Jairus Ngaah directed the Officer Commanding Station at Mombasa Police Station to execute the warrants of arrest for the two officials.
This order comes after numerous failed attempts to compel the Mombasa County Government to honor a debt that originated from a 2008 High Court ruling.
The initial judgment mandated the payment of Kshs. 13,541,815 to Associated Automobile Distributors (K) Limited a sum that has now escalated due to accrued interest.
Court had previously ordered monthly installments of Kshs. 1,000,000 to be paid by the Mombasa County Government.
The debt remains unpaid even after a consent judgment and multiple subsequent orders – including an order of Mandamus in 2006 and a warrant of arrest in 2010.
In 2018, former Chief Officer for Finance Maryam Abdillahi Mbaruk, was found in contempt of court for her failure to remit the judgment debt.
Although an arrest warrant was issued against her, it remains unexecuted by the time she left office. This pattern of non-compliance and disregard for court orders has continued with the current official Evans Oanda and Gloria Mwasi.
In his ruling, Justice Ngaah stressed the necessity of enforcing judicial orders to maintain the rule of law and ensure accountability in public office.
He directed that the arrest warrants be executed promptly, with the officials brought before the court to show cause why they should not be committed to jail for six months for contempt.
The case against Mombasa County Government dates back to a 2000 lawsuit filed by Associated Automobile Distributors (K) Limited.
The lawsuit sought payment for services rendered, leading to a 2008 consent judgment. Failure to comply with this judgment has resulted in a protracted legal battle characterized by contempt proceedings and unexecuted arrest warrants.
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