By Willis Oketch

The daughter of a former powerful Minister in the Kenyatta regime is locked in a legal battle with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Lennah Catherine Koinange, the daughter of the late Mbiyu Koinange, is fighting NSSF’s move to evict her from the land valued at about Sh100 million near Milele Beach in the North Coast over a lease dispute.

NSSF lawyer Patrick Ochwa says the fund wants Sifa International, owned by Catherine, to be evicted from the plot because the five years lease she signed with NSSF in February 2004 ended in February 2009.

He said since the lease had expired, the company must vacate the premises after being given six months notice.

But Catherine in a rejoinder says she has sued NSSF to stop it from selling the plot to some prospective buyers from Libya.

She complained that NSSF had severally tried to evict her from the premises in a breach of court order, which temporarily stopped her eviction.

Catherine also claims NSSF stormed her business premises causing her to incur Sh67 million losses for which she wants to be compensated.

However, Ochwa argues that since the lease expired the applicant had no business in being on the property under question.

He admits the court issued an order restraining Catherine’s eviction but added that the applicant had never made any attempt for the case to be concluded.

injunction

“Since November 21, 2006 and February 27, 2009 when the court issued injunction orders against the defendants, the plaintiff has never made any attempts to list the main suit for hearing,” said Ochwa.

He complained that Sifa International had stopped paying rent to NSSF despite occupying the premises and as a result occasioning substantial looses to the fund.

“NSSF stands to suffer further losses by the delay that is being occasioned by the applicant,” says Ochwa.

Ochwa has complained that Sifa International had stayed in the plot for the last five years without paying any rent.

But Catherine insists NSSF is to blame for having stormed her business premises and disrupting the operations of the hotel.

She said that on January 21, 2007, NSSF, despite the order stopping it from interfering with her business stormed the place in the company of hired personnel armed with guns and crude weapons and a tractor and demolished and destroyed buildings and structures created on the premises.

She says guests, employees and customers fled during the said raid.