This archive report was first published on 19 November 2019.
On November 19, 2019, former Education Assistant Minister Calist Mwatela and his wife Jacinta Mwatela, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, filed a lawsuit against Mombasa County in a Mombasa law court.
The couple is seeking Ksh. 25 million, which they claim is the agreed purchase price for a 2.5-acre parcel of land in the Mishomoroni area.
According to the petition, Mombasa County had offered to purchase the land on behalf of squatters who had invaded the property in 2003 without the owners' authority.
However, in 2017, the couple filed a case at the Mombasa High Court seeking possession of the land and damages for trespass.
After the county intervened, the couple entered into a sale agreement with Mombasa County, surrendering the land to the squatters and dropping the 2017 high court case.
Under the agreement, the county was to pay the couple Ksh. 10 million in two installments, with the balance of Ksh. 5 million to be cleared within 120 days.
However, the county has allegedly refused to release the purchase price, prompting the couple to seek court intervention.
