UPDATE Tuesday, November 24: A court ordered the arrest and jailing of Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa for failing to pay Ksh1.8 million legal fees.
This comes despite the Legislator revealing that he would settle the amount before the deadline on Tuesday as ordered by the court.
The fees came about after lawyer Alfred Ndambiri represented him in an election petition back in 2017 but the MP allegedly failed to settle the amount.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa was on Monday, November 23, handed a one-day ultimatum to clear Ksh1.8 million in legal fees or face six months in jail.
This comes after lawyer Alfred Ndambiri moved to court after Barasa allegedly failed to settle the legal fees owed after he represented him in an election petition back in 2017.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Barasa revealed that he is in the process of settling the legal fees after a court battle with the city lawyer.
"I will pay the amount, sometimes as an MP you face intimidation using such means, but these are small monies which I will settle.
"He put in a demand of Ksh8M which was dismissed by the court, it was brought down to Ksh4M which I paid and the Ksh1.8M is the only amount left for me to settle," he explained.
The election petition was filed by former Kimilili MP Suleiman Murunga back in 2017 with Barasa contracting Ndambiri as his lawyer.
In his judgement, the judge ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to quash Barasa's election.
Barasa pleaded leniency in the case against Ndambiri after seven court sessions and promised to settle the amount but reportedly failed to do so.
Senior Resident Magistrate D.M. Kivuti ordered Barasa be given a final chance to appear before him on Tuesday, November 24.
In the final adjournment, the legislator stated that he was Covid-19 positive and was in self-isolation, and demanded to be exempted for 90 days.
Kivuti handed Barasa 45 days to settle the amount which expires on Tuesday.
