This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
On August 6, 2019, the Court of Appeal suspended a decision to refer an ownership dispute in a company linked to former Kenya Revenue Authority boss John Njiraini to arbitration.
The dispute, which involves a Sh1.3 billion decra tiles firm called Space & Style Limited, pits co-founders Njama Wambugu and Winfrida Wanjiku Ngumi against each other.
Appellate judges Martha Koome, Fatuma Sichale, and Sankale ole Kantai ruled that operations of the company are at risk of being shut down if the dispute over its ownership is not determined.
The judges faulted the High Court's decision to refer the matter for arbitration, noting that there was no request for such an option.
Mr. Wambugu claims that Mr. Njiraini holds shares in Space & Style through an offshore company called Decamis Limited, which is registered in Hong Kong.
Mr. Njiraini, however, denies the allegations, claiming that he is not a shareholder in Space & Style and that Mr. Wambugu used the court to blackmail him into helping him stop tax-related investigations into his firms.
The dispute has been ongoing for some time, with Mr. Wambugu accusing Mr. Njiraini of agreeing to help resolve tax issues with the company in exchange for shares.
