Police officers sue Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo over eviction

By Wilfred Ayaga

NAIROBI, KENYA: A group of police officers have sued the Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo over plans to evict them from a facility at the Wilson airport.

The officers are claiming in their petition that they have been issued with a notice to vacate the airport’s canteen, in which they say they have invested millions of shillings in for the last two years. The officers have filed their petition together with a group of residents under the umbrella of Friends for Wilson Airport Canteen.

Through their lawyer, Joshua Maritim, the more than ten officers are seeking to stop the Inspector General of police or his agents from proceeding with the said eviction until their petition is heard and determined.

They claim that the premises have been allocated to a third party without being subjected to competitive bidding, an action they say has infringed on their fundamental rights.

“We have been told to vacate the said premises without due consideration of the time, property and investment on the premise,” they argue in their application before Justice Mumbi Ngugi on Monday.

A letter from the inspector General of Police dated April 15 and which is addressed to the petitioners gives the officers 3 months to leave the premises. The notice expired on 5th September.

The officers claim they were allocated space to set up a temporary canteen by the Officer in Charge of Police Divison, Wilson Airport in May 2011. However, their efforts to set up full fledged premises were thwarted after they received another letter from the Inspector General of Police asking them to give up the space.

“We later learnt that the said premises had been allocated to a third party and given authority to run the business,” the petition reads.

Justice Ngugi will give directions on the matter on 25th September 2013 after the petitioner has served the Attorney General.