Marsabit Finance Executive jailed for disregarding court order on land compensation

Marsabit Finance Executive Adan Kanano has been sentenced to one-month-imprisonment over the county government's failure to honour a court order issued nearly five years ago directing the county to pay a resident Sh7.18 million over the forceful acquisition of his land.

The complainant Petro Namweni Lochich moved to court in June 2015 after the county government, under the then leadership of Governor Ukur Yattani, grabbed his two-acre land where Saku Vocational Training Centre is being constructed.

Four months later, Magistrate Tom Mbayaki Wafula found Petro as a legitimate property owner and ordered the county government to pay him the money as compensation. The county, at the time, failed to prove ownership of the land.

The blatant disregard of the court directive continued in the subsequent and current regime of Governor Mohammud Ali who is serving his second and last term as the county boss.

Aggrieved, the complaint had in December 2020 moved to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters along Kiambu road where an order for the governor to be arrested for disregarding the court order was reportedly made but no action was taken.

The same office is said to have in April this year issued orders for the Finance Executive to be arrested for not paying the complainant the award.

The complainant had at some point demanded action against the current regime which he accused of going on with the construction of the institution despite an existing court case.

The delayed justice and infringement of the complainant's land and property rights saw his lawyer abandon him and his health deteriorate.

The Marsabit court had early last month (July) directed the County Police Commander to arrest Adan for being uncooperative and frustrating the process.

Chief Magistrate Christine Wekesa Tuesday ordered Adan to serve the jail term at Marsabit GK Prison.

The Eastleigh Voice is reliably informed that Adan will appeal the ruling at the Meru High Court.