This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
On October 17, 2019, the High Court in Kitui issued a warrant of arrest against Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai, following his failure to settle Sh2.2 million in legal fees.
The court ordered the officer commanding Nairobi's Central Police Station to arrest Mr. Mbai and deliver him to the Kitui court.
The legal fees were incurred by the law firm of Nyamu and Nyamu advocates, who successfully defended Mr. Mbai in a petition challenging his election.
According to the court decree, Mr. Mbai is required to pay Sh2,212,670.40, along with executing officers' expenses and fees, to bring the judgment-debtor before the court with all convenient speed.
Mr. Mbai had been served with a decree of payment but failed to settle the sum, prompting the court to order him to appear in court, which he again failed to honour.
As a result, the court issued an arrest warrant, which could lead to a six-month committal to civil jail for failure to settle the debt.
Mr. Mbai's election was challenged by Millitonic Mwendwa Kitute, who came second in the 2017 election. Mr. Mbai, a former administration policeman, won on the Jubilee ticket with 14,256 votes against Mr. Kitute's 10,899.
