Some of the 1,942 Kipkurere Forest evictees outside Eldoret High Court yesterday seeking redress for the alleged discrimination by the Government while compiling the list for compensation.  [PHOTO: ELIUD KIPSANG/STANDARD]

By FRANCIS KOECH

NAKURU COUNTY: The High Court in Eldoret has ordered the National Bank of Kenya to verify beneficiaries of compensation following evictions from Kipkurere Forest in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County.

Judge Silah Munyao directed the State counsel to serve the banks chief executive officer with the request as he prepares to make a ruling on the resettlement of the evictees.

The Ministry of Devolution and Planning had deposited cash in the bank for resettling the evictees despite protests from another group claiming to have been left out.

The National Bank CEO is to swear an affidavit on whether or not the bank had disbursed the money into the individual accounts of the beneficiaries, who according to the Government are genuine evictees.

Mr Munyao also wants to know when the bank received the money from the ministry, when the individual accounts were opened and the time the money was disbursed as alleged.

The case seeks to ascertain the genuineness of the list of individuals who the Government had began compensating with the group in court saying that they are the genuine evictees but are not in the list considered by the Government.

The group, through Jackson Agui and 1,941 others filed a petition against the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Devolution and the Attorney General, prompting the court to stop the payment to the individuals in the contested list.

The court heard that the lead counsel’s office had written a letter to the National Bank manager, Eldoret branch, yet the court had directed them to serve the CEO of National Bank or an officer authorised by the chief executive.

“I am surprised with the submissions made by the State Law Office and that the AG did not extract the order, neither did they serve the CEO of National Bank of Kenya as ordered, instead they wrote a letter to the branch manager,” said the judge

Munyao added that the matter involves thousands of litigants and that he expects the State to take the matter more seriously.

Counsel for the petitioners, Eliab Melly, strongly opposed the application for adjournment citing that the AG should have extracted the order and the same to the CEO of the bank.

The judge compelled the State Law Office to urgently provide the court with the requested information.

The case will be heard on March 11, as the Judge waits to be furnished with information vital for the proceedings of the matter.