Musa Sirma to lose property over Sh754,000 election petition debt
Former East African Cooperation Minister Musa Sirma.
Former East African Cooperation Minister Musa Sirma is set to lose property worth millions of shillings to auctioneers after failing to pay the cost of losing an election petition.
Saddabri Auctioneers have already issued a proclamation of attachment on the properties of Mr Sirma for auctioning towards the recovery of the Sh754,000 on behalf of Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lessonet.
This followed the expiry of a 10-day notice issued to Mr Sirma as directed by the court on October 6.
“This is to command you to attach movable properties of the judgment debtor as set forth in the schedule annexed or which shall be pointed out to you by the decree holder unless the said judgment debtor shall pay you the sum of Sh753,950 together with the cost of the attachment,” reads the order.
The auctioneers, acting under instruction of Gordon Ogolla and Kikoech and Company Advocates have attached 20 dairy cows valued at Sh35,000 each or one Toyota Prado vehicle and two grounded vehicles for auctioning towards recovery of the money on behalf of Mr Lessonet.
Mr Sirma, who contested the election of Mr Lessonet as the area MP in 2017 General Election, lost the petition for lack of evidence.
The court ordered him to pay Sh6 million cost of the suit to Mr Lessonet, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Returning Officer Peter Kuria whom he had listed as respondents in his petition.
His efforts to challenge the court’s decision were unsuccessful after the Court of Appeal threw out his application.
In his appeal, Mr Sirma had sought to stop the execution of the orders of the March 4, 2018 judgment regarding the cost of the petition.
However, Justice Justus Bwonwong'a, the High Court judge in Kabarnet, dismissed his application and ordered him to pay as earlier directed.
Following the ruling Mr Lessonet, through his lawyer Kipkoech Ng’etich, secured the services of the auctioneers after Mr Sirma failed to pay the money
Mr Sirma however, moved back to court in 2019 seeking to challenge the proclamation by the auctioneers whom he accused of undervaluing his property, including his motor vehicle, a Prado Land Cruiser.
The application was, however, dismissed allowing the auction to proceed.
