State House Furniture Supplier Seeks Ksh500M

A file image of State House in Nairobi
A file image of State House in Nairobi
Twitter

Solomon Njoroge Kiore, the proprietor of Furncon, a furniture company, is demanding Ksh500 million for goods he supplied to the State House in 1990s.

Njoroge who won the tender during Moi era is seeking redress at the Milimani High Court to have the matter heard and determined.

The carpenter won the contract to supply State House with furniture in a procurement process conducted by the Ministry of Defence in 1992. Njoroge's company supplied seats, but which were returned after a year, allegedly without any payment being made.

A government officer showing presidential furniture during a past exhibition
A government officer showing presidential furniture during a past exhibition
File

Some of the furniture was used in mini-State House at the Agricultural Society of Kenya grounds in Jamhuri, the Moi Air Base and Eldoret Barracks.

The company also fitted a mace, chairs and several other instruments of the presidency. 

A settlement offer had been extended to Njoroge in 2001. After learning that the carpenter’s demands included financial issues not related to the cost of the chairs, the offer was withdrawn. 

Njoroge went to court in 2007, but it was not until 2018 when a decision was made to settle the matter out of court. 

The settlement fell through after the parties failed to agree on the amount to be paid. 

In 2019, a military officer Colonel Symon Yator Cheberek took over the case, but Njoroge opposed it stating: “There can never be a situation where a civilian can be in court one on one with a distinctive disciplined uniformed officer.”

In other court documents, Kiore stated that the delayed payment bankrupted his firm and thus it was unable to seek similar assignments in other African countries. 

He explained that he took a Ksh1 million loan for the State House deal, and used his matrimonial home as security.

When he failed to pay and the bank refused to await payment from State House, it auctioned his home.

 

The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi as pictured on November 18, 2019
The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi as pictured on November 18, 2019
Simon Kiragu
Kenyans.co.ke