The industrial court in Kisumu yesterday fined two people a total of Sh400,000 over contempt of court after occupying the offices of the clerk and deputy clerk despite an order stopping them from doing so.
Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa fined Owen Ojuok and Stephen Okola Sh200,000 each for assuming the positions of clerk and deputy clerk respectively.
They will each serve one month in jail in default.
Justice Wasilwa declined to give them seven days stay in order to pay the fine and directed that they pay the fine immediately or start serving the sentences.
She ordered the duo to write a written apology and warned members of the county assembly that they will be brought back to court if they continue disobeying orders.
“The sanctity and dignity of the court must be upheld’ she warned.
The parties namely the county secretary Humphrey Nakitare, the acting speaker Gabriel Omollo, an employee Haggai Kadiri and the Kisumu County assembly and the sergeant at arms were left off the hook since they were not served correctly.
The contempt proceedings were filed by the clerk Melco Sagwe and his deputy Peter Anditi who weren’t to court after the county assembly redeployed them to the positions of sub-county administrators.
Justice Wasilwa said that an order was secured by the applicants on October 21 barring the respondents or their agents from interfering with them until a suit they filed is heard by all parties is heard and determined.
The judge had given conservancy orders pending the hearing of main suit before Sagwe and Anditi further filed the contempt proceedings.
Justice Wasilwa observed that the respondents continued to portray the chief officers as corrupt.
The judge said the two respondents were aware of the orders but continued disregarding.
She said that the county assembly had no power to appoint the two respondents to none existing positions in the first place.
Justice Wasilwa said that they were aware of the orders via services and knew about them even if they were not served.