Drama unfolded at the Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company (Nawassco) when auctioneers sought to attach property over an unpaid court award.
The auctioneers, guarded by police, landed at the offices after being procured by a member of the Nawassco Board and former KANU stalwart Geoffrey Asanyo. The auctioneers first pounced on the water company's premises at 9am and began hauling furniture out of the offices.
Their attempts were however thwarted by irate staff who returned the furniture into the offices and locked the main entrance paralysing business for the better part of the morning.
The auctioneers however proceeded to attach two of Nawassco's vehicles that were operating outside the premises before making their way to the Rift Valley Water Services Board where they attached office furniture and appliances.
Asanyo is seeking payment of over Sh14 million that was awarded to him by the industrial court following a protracted battle over his dismissal from the board.
Asanyo won the suit with costs and has since been claiming the award from the respondents amongst them the water company, the Board, former Nawassco chairman John Cheruiyot, RVWSB MD Japheth Mutai, Nakuru County government and Governor Kinuthia Mbugua.
The board, through lawyer Tom Ojienda, asked the court to stay execution of the award pending an appeal but the court directed the respondents to deposit a 10 per cent security pending the ruling.
Through Lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich, Asanyo moved to court on Tuesday seeking orders to break in and attach the respondents' properties as they had missed the court’s deadline to deposit the security.
However, as the auctioneers from Saddabri Auctioneers continued to remove property from the two premises, Judge Stephen Radido issued orders revoking the orders for attachment pending an application to be made by the respondents before court on Tuesday.
Radido further directed the auctioneers to return the property they had already seized as long as the respondents paid their costs for the day.