Iringo must come to court or be arrested – judge

On Monday, Iringo failed to honour yet another court date to explain why his ministry was yet to pay out Sh31.6 million to Tanzanian national James Koroso for wrongful detention and torture/FILE

On Monday, Iringo failed to honour yet another court date to explain why his ministry was yet to pay out Sh31.6 million to Tanzanian national James Koroso for wrongful detention and torture.

“I hereby direct the Inspector General of Police to arrest the Principal Secretary and bring him to court to show why he should not be tried for contempt,” Odunga directed.

Koroso has accused the ministry of frustrating his claim to the award adding that government officials have even threatened to take his life should he not drop it.

“Despite the award, the respondent has continued to default and the plaint has been unsuccessful, instead I have received calls from government officials who are telling me that this is Kenya and I am a foreigner and may pay with my life for the continued litigation,” Koroso stated.

He went on to state that the six year delay in payment of the award cost him his matrimonial home.

On February 22, 2008 Judge Jackton Ojwang awarded Koroso Sh21 million before an appeal by the Attorney General that led to the increase of the award to Sh31.6 million.

Koroso had filed the civil suit against the Government of Kenya in 1996.

In it he stated: ”Police officers, without any or any reasonable and probable cause and/or justification whatsoever, wrongfully, unlawfully and maliciously caused the plaintiff to be arraigned in a court of law and charged with the offence of robbery with violence in Kiambu Magistrate’s Court Criminal case No.73 of 1993.”

He was acquitted of the charges on December 7, 1995.

His case will again come up for mention on March 12 but it is not the first time a warrant of arrest has been issued against Iringo for failing to honour court summons in connection with a damages case.

In December of 2013 Iringo failed to show up to court and explain why Sh727,706 had not been paid out to former constable Mwanza Mukoma for unfair dismissal and prosecution for theft.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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