Interior PS Omollo faces Sh500,000 fine, arrest for snubbing summons

Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo who has announced that the government will close down all bars situated near schools. (Phot: X/Raymond Omollo)

By Lucy Mumbi
Thursday, April 24, 2025

Omollo has been at the centre of several unresolved matters, including the implementation of the Departmental Committee on Lands’ report on a petition by former workers of the late Mayer Jacob Samuels.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo risks being fined Sh500,000 and possible arrest for repeatedly snubbing summonses by a National Assembly committee seeking updates on unresolved land disputes and evictions affecting hundreds of Kenyans.

Members of Parliament said they invoked Standing Order 191(a) to compel Omollo’s appearance after he failed to honour three invitations over the past year.

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The Committee on Implementation of House Resolutions, chaired by Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala, resolved to summon the PS, citing deliberate non-cooperation in addressing public petitions already approved by the House for implementation.

“The committee has resolved to summon Interior and National Coordination Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo pursuant to Standing Order 191(a) to appear before us on several issues that he has failed to attend to for over one year now,” Wanjala said.

“We are therefore directing the Clerk to issue summons to Omollo to appear at a date that we shall set. Failure to which we will impose a fine not exceeding Sh500,000 and order for his arrest.”

Standing Order 191(a) empowers Parliament and its committees to fine individuals up to Sh500,000 for failing to respond to invitations or submit documents when required.

Omollo has been at the centre of several unresolved matters, including the implementation of the Departmental Committee on Lands’ report on a petition by former workers of the late Mayer Jacob Samuels.

The workers were evicted from land in Roysambu Constituency by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), despite claiming ownership through adverse possession after the government compulsorily acquired the land from Mr Samuels, whose lease expired in 2003. He was compensated prior to his death, but a land dispute erupted involving KDF, Solio Construction Company, Uchumi Supermarkets and the former workers.

The House adopted the committee’s report on December 5, 2019, recommending that the Ministry of Lands, the National Land Commission, and Nairobi County Government conclude the titling of L.R No 5875/2 within 180 days.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was also directed to investigate possible fraudulent transactions by officers of the Ministry of Lands, prosecute those found culpable, and report back to the House within 90 days.

The committee also wants PS Omollo to provide the status of the petition by the former Enoosupukia evictees seeking resettlement, a 2022 petition by Seme MP James Nyikal on compensation for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) under the Nyanza-Western Caucus and a petition by residents of Hospital Ward in Mathare regarding forced evictions by the National Police Service.

Wanjala said the PS had failed to respond to these matters despite numerous reminders, and the committee now sees his continued absence as an obstacle to parliamentary oversight.

“Whereas the committee recognises the busy schedule and workload that Omollo faces, the House has timelines within which to process its work and therefore cannot be sabotaged,” he said.

Appearing before the committee on Thursday, April 24, 2025, Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary Nixon Korir disassociated his ministry from the implementation delays. He said the issues fell under the Ministry of Interior, the National Land Commission, and the State Department for Devolution.

“The recommendations by the Committee fall under the mandate of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration and the National Land Commission and the State Department for Devolution. Therefore, they are best placed to give a status report,” Korir said.