Ministry of Defense PS Saitoti Torome at a past event. [Photo/ kahawatungu.com]Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Saitoti Torome has been sentenced to six months in civil jail without an alternative to fine.High Court Justice Joseph Sergon gave the ruling after the PS was found guilty of contempt of court.Torome failed to obey a court order which directed him to pay Sh17.2 million to a family that gave out their parcel of land situated in Mombasa town to the government in 2006.“The respondents have failed to appear in court and mitigate as to why he has failed to honour court orders having cited for civil jail for contempt earlier,” said Justice Sergon, as quoted by Citizen Digital.In 2009, through Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, Eunice Makori and Hellen Makone sued Saitoti after the government failed to compensate them for the surrender of the piece of land belonging to Johnson Onduko Makori.The two said the State failed to compensate them Sh9.2 million and other interests in 2006 after the land was given to the government.The judgment was delivered after leave was granted and matter heard on June 30, 2017, directing the PS to pay the family a total of Sh17,257,930 inclusive of costs and interests.However, according to the applicants, a mother and her daughter, the judgement was delivered in June 2015 and they were awarded money for compensation.They said Torome, Boinnet and the then Attorney General Amos Wako acknowledged receipt of the said judgment and orders given by the Judge.The PS had in June filed an affidavit saying he personally does not owe the applicant any money as he is the accounting officer in the Ministry of Defence.

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