MP in court for breach of contract

A Commercial court Wednesday lifted a warrant of arrest against Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabir after the legislator showed up in court for the hearing of a civil case.

Mr Shabir has been sued for not honouring a deal with a farmer, Samuel Ndolo, to whom he had sold a tractor for Sh528 million before repossessing it.

The farmer, a father of eight, said his children failed to go to school after the tractor he hoped to use to fend for them was repossessed by Shabir.

In mitigation, the MP told the court that he was not the only director of the company that went into liquidation over 10 years ago. The case has been pending in court for 15 years.

Mr Ndolo had bought the tractor on hire purchase and had paid Sh492,000 before it was repossessed. The court had on one occasion told Shabir to refund the money.

Ndolo claims that the Kisumu East MP owes him close to Sh2.7 million since the court awarded him the sum he had paid to the selling firm plus accrued interests. Shabir was released on a cash bond of Sh1.2 million.

However, Shabir told the court that the firm had wound up with unpaid claims of over 20 individuals.

“The claimant should seek the money from the company, not from me as an individual,” said Shabir.