By Team
Acting Kisumu Chief Officer of Finance Mr. Martin Okode Opiyo was jailed for five months and fined Sh 200,000 for contempt of court.
Advocate Rueben Maua for Majok Company Limited had moved to Kisumu Court for judicial review following the County of Government of Kisumu’s failure to pay the decree the court had awarded the firm.
Justice Shariff Mwanaisha Saidi sentenced the chief officer for contempt and disobeying the court for five months and fined him Sh 200,000.
Okode spent the night at Kisumu Central police cell as a legal team from the county and management moved to appeal the sentence.
Similarly, County Executive Committee Member for Finance and County Secretary are also due for sentencing on Monday for contempt of court.
Recently, drama unfolded at county offices after an advocate moved to execute a court decree over an unpaid certificate due to a contractor.
A Kisumu-based advocate Mr. Okungu stormed the county offices accompanied by two police officers to execute the decree by arresting and committing the county’s chief financial officer (CFO) to a civil jail.
Panic gripped the ever-busy CFO office and the Treasury Department as business was paralyzed at the county headquarters with a section of staff taking off to avoid arrest.
The advocate’s client was seeking Sh 8M inclusive of interest for the court decree for the payment of the certificate to the contract he undertook.
However, to avert the arrest of the CFO, the county government administration entered into an arrangement with the advocate to pay part payment as it sought other finances to settle the balance.
Already, the Kisumu County Government is yet to pay Sh 2.3b to decree holders in the form of contractors’ certificates, advocates fees, and service providers.
The court gave 40 decree holders authority to execute the order between the months of September to November.
During the fiscal year, Kisumu County received a total of KES. 10,142,864,470 in revenue, comprising Own Source Revenue, Grants, and sharable revenue, representing 84% of the revenue target set against budget revised estimates of KES. 12,045,283,582.
The Kisumu court recently released a list of pending decrees up for execution and named the various entities owed by the county government including suppliers, contractors legal firms, and traders whose businesses were demolished among others.
A once popular fish-eating point along the Lake Victoria shores whose property was demolished got a court decree for Sh 75M while a consultant firm received a similar amount against the County government of Kisumu and Kisumu City Board for unfilled contract obligation.
A prominent Kisumu lawyer was allowed to undertake decree enforcement for Sh 115,000,000.
A prominent Kisumu-based law firm is seeking Sh 475,000,000 for advocate and client bills of cost.
