Kerugoya court accused of 'disobeying' Supreme Court

Kerugoya, Kenya: The County Assembly has accused the Kerugoya High Court of disobeying a lawful court order issued by a higher court by ordering two of its officials to appear before it in person.

Speaker Kariuki Mate and Assembly Clerk Jim Kauma were ordered to appear in court on Tuesday to answer to contempt of court charges.

Mate and Kauma failed to appear in court on Monday and instead sent their lawyers to represent them.

However, in a press release sent yesterday, Mate explained they did not attend because there was a stay for an inter-parties hearing issued by the Supreme Court hence all they were required to do was send a lawyer to the court to notify it about that stay.

The Speaker said he would obey yesterday's summons saying if the High Court decided to ignore the Supreme Court orders, then he has no option but to obey it.

Mate said he is submissive to the course of justice and to judicial authority.