Former Nairobi County Chief Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Finance and Economic Affairs Charles Kerich can now breathe a sigh of relief after the High Court lifted contempt orders over a Sh106 million legal fees dispute.
Mr Kerich has escaped the three-month jail sentence initially handed down to him by the court at the previous hearing of the case that put him in the spotlight.
While appearing before court on Thursday, the parties struck a deal that includes a payment plan and an immediate Sh30 million payment by Mr Kerich, who said county bureaucracy had delayed settlement of the debt.
Charles Korgoren Kerich who has grown in stature to become Nairobi Governor Sonko’s ‘Mr Fix It’. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Early this month, the court had directed Mr Kerich to surrender himself within three days to begin serving the jail term, after finding him guilty of contempt of court.
The court had warned that should he fail to surrender, police should arrest him immediately and that he would be treated as a fugitive from justice.
However, when the parties appeared in court for the mention of the case, the court was informed that the parties had struck a deal, setting out a payment schedule.
Mr Kerich had personally paid Sh30 million to the law firm, and the rest would be paid as contained in a schedule tabled in court.
Mr Kerich was taken to court over a debt owed to Kwengu and Company Advocates, a law firm that litigated for Nairobi City County Government on various matters.
Following his arrest and imprisonment, Mr Kerich went missing, prompting the Nairobi County Assembly to demand answers from Governor Johnson Sakaja regarding his whereabouts.
However, at a recent Implementation Committee meeting, the Assembly was informed that the former Finance boss was out of the country on official business and would appear as soon as he returned.
In a letter to the Nairobi County Assembly Committee last month, the governor said through the Acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali that Mr Sakaja was on an official trip to the United States of America.
Majority Leader Peter Imwatok.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Mr Akumali explained that Mr Kerich would not appear before the Committee as requested in the invitation letter.
He asked the Committee Chairperson, the Majority Leader Peter Imwatok, to summon the required CEC to appear on July 10, when he is expected to return.
“We wish to inform you that the County Executive Committee Member is currently in the United States of America on official assignment. We kindly request that his appearance before the Committee be rescheduled,” part of the letter from Mr Akumali reads.
While the Committee agreed to summon Mr Kerich afresh, the members asked the administration of Governor Sakaja to provide all the materials which will prove that the CEC in question was indeed on an official assignment.
His absence saw the county delaying the budget appropriation process, and to date, the county is yet to pass the budget for this financial year.
Governor Sakaja appointed Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya as a substantive CEC for Finance to assist with budget preparation.
It is unclear whether Mr Kerich will be reappointed to Sakaja’s administration following his acquittal.
