County executives of Mombasa County have been found in contempt of court and are still missing while a case was filed against them for failing to pay county debt.
The court is probing Ms Mbaruk and Ms Abdi, officers in the Mombasa County Finance Ministry, for failing to pay a Mombasa based lawyer for legal serviices rendered.
The Sh18 million was part of more than Sh1.2 billion Governor Hassan Joho’s administration owed lawyer Robinson Malombe.
“These are services rendered during the defunct Mombasa Municipality. According to the law, the county inherited both the assets and liabilities,” lawyer Malombe posed in court.
However, the officers acted in contempt of court by failing to appear in court to answer the charges. They moreover flee and have gone missing.
When a contingent of seven police officers arrived at the county government offices to enforce arrest warrants issued by the High Court judge against the two, they were stopped by senior officers.
The two were at the moment locked inside the offices. By the time the officers called for back up and forcefully stormed into the offices, they found that they had escaped.
Commission for Human Rights and Justice Executive Director Julius Ogogoh criticised police, alleging that they were not keen to effect the order.
“It appears some people are above the law. We cannot understand why the police cannot effect the court order, which is very clear,” said Mr Ogogoh.
The county executives are still in hiding as police have launched investigations into their escape.
They reportedly went back on their word to lawyer Malombe, whose debts they said they will pay in 60 days when the case was filed against them on December 6, 2018.