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Ex-Kisii Town Clerk Faces Arrest Over Contempt

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Published on Saturday, 30 July 2011 23:45

The high court in Kisii yesterday issued a warrant of arrest for the recently transferred Kisii Municipal Council town clerk Maina Chira for failing to appear in court. Chira was appearing on behalf of the council in a case in which the Director of Tenderwood Industries Limited has sued his landlord Rispa Kerubo Onsase over alleged illegal eviction from his rented houses.

Tenderwood director John Mong'are had sued Onsase and Chira as the first and second defenders respectively for planning the eviction and the council which he purports to have been behind the demolition. Issuing orders for Chira's arrest, Resident judge Ruth Sitati said the court issued summons to the clerk to appear but he failed to do so. The warrant of arrest was issued after Mong'are's lawyer Koina Onyancha prayed to the court to do so.

Chira's lawyer Bosire Gichana had defended him saying the town clerk was not in the country. Gichana asked the court to give him more time, saying his efforts to reach him had not borne fruit. "My client went on transfer two months ago and efforts to reach him have yielded no fruit. So I pray for more time so that I can reach him," he said.

However, Onyancha said Chira's lawyer would have known where he was transferred to because he left his contacts. "In order for the Town Clerk to appear when required, there is need for issuance of warrant of arrest because we don't believe that he is out of the country," Onyancha said.

The judge told Gichana to give proper information as to why Chira would not attend court saying that the court was not ready to deal with contempt.The mention of the case was set to July 25.