Finish project or go to jail, MP told

A court has ordered Ol Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi to complete a community project started by his predecessor through government’s devolved funds or risk a six-month civil jail term in contempt.

In a landmark ruling by a Nyahururu court, the MP was instructed to speed up the building of a Sh6.5 million dispensary initiated during the tenure of Mr Muriuki Karue.

Senior resident magistrate Alice Mong’are said Mr Mureithi could only purge the contempt slapped on him by ensuring the project was completed within the shortest time possible.

“The MP is absent without apology. He is rude, disrespectful and openly defied my orders that were served on him. This lawmaker turned lawbreaker shall stand condemned to pay costs of the suit or have his property attached to meet the same,” she added.

The court further observed that the stalled project was meant for public use and the MP erred by victimising the project committee members deemed to be supporters of his political rival and former area MP.

“It is embarrassing for the MP to have cancelled a cheque meant for a project aimed at assisting people. For him to claim that the committee members had embezzled funds is an afterthought since no case against them has been lodged with the courts,” she observed.

Mr Josephat Karanja Ragi, the Chamuka Dispensary chairman, moved to court to bar Mr Mureithi and his agents from interfering with the project’s implementation.

The committee member testified in court that he had political ambitions of vying for the Ol Jororok civic seat and was therefore unlikely to embezzle project funds then seek public office.

“I wanted to use the project as a launching pad for my career. It would have shown people what kind of leadership I have to offer and for the MP to claim I had embezzled funds is to impute bad motive on my part,” he said.

Another witness, Mrs Lucy Wamuyu, said she was a Woman’s Guild chairperson, a representative of Ol Jororok Division to the Poverty Eradication Committee and a teacher. She said the MP had injured her character by claiming she stole public funds.

Mr Mureithi accused the applicants’ lawyer, Mr Ndegwa Wahome, of using the project to settle a political score after he “defeated” him in the last elections.
Mrs Mong’are said the MP showed utter contempt by lying to the court about his whereabouts when he missed a court session as he was travelling to Nigeria.