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Court told Nairobi official Geoffrey Mosiria collapsed, hospitalised on learning he risks jail term for contempt
Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria during the interview at City hall on February 12, 2025.
What you need to know:
- A defence lawyer who appeared before the three-judge bench presented medical documents showing that Mr Mosiria had been taken ill.
- The judges heard that Mr Mosiria was shocked when he was served with a summons to attend court to mitigate before being committed to jail.
A senior employee of the Nairobi County Government allegedly collapsed and was taken to the hospital after learning that he was going to be committed to jail for contempt of court, three High Court judges were told on Friday.
Geoffrey Mosiria, the Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment, was scheduled to appear before a three-judge Bench but failed to do so due to a health challenge.
A defence lawyer who appeared before the three-judge bench presented medical documents showing that Mr Mosiria had been taken ill.
The judges heard that Mr Mosiria was shocked when he was served with a summons to attend court to mitigate before being committed to jail.
“On learning for the first time that he had been convicted for contempt of court, George Mosiria suffered a shock and then collapsed,” lawyer Danstan Omari told the judges.
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He pleaded with the court to indulge Mr Mosiria and suspend his committal to jail until an application for review of the orders is heard and determined.
The lawyer, who is teaming up with three others for Mr Mosiria, said the contemnor was not aware of the existence of the case that gave rise to the conviction.
Omari also pleaded for a stay or setting aside of the committal order.
The judges declined to set aside the order to commit Mr Mosiria to jail for defying a court directive.
Instead, the three-judge Bench ruled that Mr Mosiria “remains a convict until further orders of the court on February 2, 2026.”
Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria during the interview at City hall on February 12, 2025.
Mr Mosiria failed to appear in court for mitigation and sentencing in the contempt case.
Explaining his absence, the four defence lawyers informed the court that Mosiria developed a health challenge upon learning that “he would be thrown into jail.”
The lawyers for Mr Mosiria urged the judges to indulge the county officer, saying they had filed an application seeking to suspend his committal, claiming he was not aware that an order had been issued against the county government barring it from developing areas of Parklands.
The lawyers also asked the court to certify the matter as urgent, explaining that Mr Mosiria had been taken ill on learning he might face a prison sentence.
“Our client was shocked upon learning he might be sent to prison. He was taken ill and has since been admitted to hospital, where he was given four days’ sick leave,” said Mr Omari.
The court directed Mr Mosiria to file an affidavit within 14 days explaining his predicament.
“The respondents shall file a replying affidavit within 14 days, while the applicants shall file any further affidavits and written submissions within 14 days of service,” the court ordered.
For now, Mr Mosiria remains convicted of contempt of court pending the outcome of his application, the judges observed.
The case stems from a conservatory order issued on March 5, which barred the Nairobi County Government and its committees from approving or processing development applications in Parklands until a proper land use and physical plan was established.
Despite the order, members of the Parklands Residents Association (PRA), who are the petitioners in the case, accused county officials of defying the directive by allowing excavation and tree-cutting activities to continue along Jalaram Road.
Mr Mosiria’s lawyers have since challenged the contempt finding, arguing that the signatures on the petition documents were forged. They said their client reported the forgery to Kilimani Police Station and hired a forensic investigator, who confirmed that the signature in question did not belong to him.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has opened a probe into the alleged forgery, with Kilimani SCCIO Hussein Mahat writing to the Deputy Registrar of the Environment and Land Court at Milimani seeking certified copies of all petition documents.
The investigation is being conducted under Section 349 of the Penal Code, which addresses forgery-related offences.
Mr Mosiria’s legal team insists that, as a public officer, he has always complied with the law and would not deliberately disobey a court order.
The case will be mentioned on February 2, 2026, at 2:30 pm, when the court will issue further directions.
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