This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe Faces Contempt of Court Charges ¶
On July 9, 2020, Justice Onesmus Makau delivered a ruling that Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was guilty of contempt of court.
The contempt charge stems from Kagwe's decision to transfer senior officers at the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL) despite an existing court order restricting him from doing so.
According to the court orders, Kagwe was cited for contempt of the court's decree dated January 31, 2020, for his decision contained in the letter Ref: 1991082265 dated June 12, 2020, deploying Dr. Hezekiah K. Chepkwony from the National Quality Control Laboratory to Kenya Medical Training College.
Kagwe was ordered to appear in court in person or through a lawyer on July 23, 2020, for mitigation and sentencing.
The maximum sentence for contempt of a court order in Kenya is six months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding KSh 200, 000 or both.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe risks spending six months in prison after being convicted by the Labour and Employment court.
