A former powerful government official is on the verge of losing his property to auctioneers due to a dispute over a parliamentary election.
Musa Sirma, the former Minister for East African and Regional Cooperation and a former member of parliament for the Eldama Ravine Constituency could lose property amounting to Ksh 880,000.
The former legislator’s property will be auctioned by a Nakuru-based firm called Saddabri Auctioneers after failing to pay a debt that accrued after losing an election petition case he filed in 2018.
The auctioneers have made the move after Gordon Ogola and Kipkoech Company Advocates listed Simra’s property for auctioning in order to pay for the cost of the case.
The former minister lost an election petition he filed in Kabarnet in 2017. In his petition, he pleaded with the the Court to quash the victory of the current Eldama Ravine Member of Parliament Moses Lessonet stating that the election was marred with several irregularities.
The court however dismissed Sirma’s petition and upheld the incumbent’s victory further ordering him to pay the IEBC, the returning officer, and Lessonet Ksh 2 Million each.
His woes deepened after the court dismissed his appeal and ordered him to carry the burden after attempting to save himself from paying the costs of the petition.
In September 2019, Sirma went back to court claiming that a proclamation by Saddabri auctioneers on his property was illegal. He also stated that the auctioneers had undervalued his property accusing the respondents of expanding the judgment beyond the legal limits.
Saddabri had listed his 20 dairy cows each valued at Ksh 35,000 to act as an alternative for his two motor vehicles and one loader.
The once-powerful legislator signed different consent orders to facilitate payment of money owed to Molo MP Lessonet. Through his lawyers Kipkoech Ng’etich and Allan Kibet, the Lessonet lawmaker revealed that Sirma had constantly failed to honor their settlement agreement.
In their submissions, Kipkoech and Kibet stated that consent between them and Sirma on behalf of their client dated March 26, 2019, had not been settled threatening to take action.
The Nakuru-based auctioneer however got the green light and is required to return the warrant of attachment before November 8 to certify the manner in which the auction was conducted.
