Jirongo’s financial problems deepen with warrant of arrest

Cyrus Jirongo

NAIROBI, KENYA: Barely a year after commercial court declared former presidential candidate Cyrus Jirongo bankrupt another financial related hurdle faces him.

On Tuesday, Milimani High Court ordered for his arrest after he failed to pay Sh25 million to businessman Brian Yongo

“Mr Jirongo was ordered by Milimani court to pay to pay Mr Yongo Sh25 million in October 2015 but the sum remains unpaid. This is therefore to direct the police to arrest and present him to court unless he deposits the owed amount,” read the warrant of arrest.

According to the notice, Jirongo has paid only Sh5 million of the Sh25 million he owes Yongo leaving a balance of Sh20 million.

As further punishment, the court ordered the former legislator to cater for the expenses and fees to be incurred by police officers who will trace him and effect the warrant of arrest.

Yongo had told the court that Jirongo had failed to honour the agreement on repaying the debt since 2015. According to the agreement, the debt was to be settled in three instalments but Jirongo only paid the first one of Sh5 million in October 15 2015.

A similar instalment was to be repaid at the end of October 2015 while the final instalment of Sh15 million was to be paid within 60 days.

The businessman submitted that he loaned Jirongo the cash between 2014 and 2015 but the politician failed to repay prompting him to file the case in court.

In October last year, Jirongo was declared bankrupt after a judge found he was unable to pay a debt running into hundreds of millions of shillings.

Commercial Court Judge Olga Sewe ruled in favour of businessman Sammy Kogo, Mr Jirongo’s creditor, and ordered that the latter’s estate should be placed under receivership.

At the centre of the battle between the politician and the businessman are properties held under Masole, Linsala Enterprise, Bain Enterprises, Saman Developer, Gileta, Koit Developers and Kenete Enterprises Ltd.