Kalembe Ndile blames rival for auctioneers’ raid on his home

There was drama Wednesday morning after people said to be auctioneers raided former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile’s home in Syokimau.

The auctioneers arrived in a convoy of three cars seeking to attach his property in what is said to be an employment dispute.

Mr Ndile called police officers to report the intrusion.

The officers arrested six people, who were later locked up at the Mlolongo Police Station.

Addressing journalists at the station after he recorded a statement, Mr Ndile claimed the intruders entered his homestead at 6am and proceeded to harass staff, demanding money.

DEMANDED MONEY

“They came in three saloon cars, caused commotion in my house claiming that they had come to execute court orders and were demanding money from my employees,” said a shaken Mr Ndile.

“I did not come out of the house since I did not know who these people were. That is when I called the police who came to my rescue. One of the vehicles escaped along the way,” he added.

The other two cars were parked at the police station.

Mr Ndile claims the raid was politically motivated.

“This is the work of my political opponents,” said Mr Ndile, who is eyeing the Mavoko parliamentary seat in the August elections on a Jubilee Party ticket.

“They must explain to police who it is that sent them,” Mr Ndile said.

BLAMED MP

He alleged that Mavoko MP Patrick Makau is behind his troubles.

Mr Ndile, who claimed that his life is in danger, told of an incident two weeks ago when his vehicle was trailed along Mombasa Road as he was coming from Machakos at around 10pm.

“I managed to shake them off. These are the same people,” he said.

However, lawyer Alfred Nyabena disputed Mr Ndile’s version of events, claiming that the people who were arrested were auctioneers.

“I represent two women who are former employees of Mr Ndile. The [Employment] and Labour Relations Court [ruled] in our favour and authorised auctioneers to recover monies owed to the two women,” said the lawyer, who came to the police station seeking the release of the arrested people.

“I was called by the auctioneers, who told me that they had been arrested in the course of discharging their duty,” added Mr Nyabena.

COURT DOCUMENTS

A man who said he was from Icon Auctioneers, but who refused to give his name, showed journalists court documents authorising them to attach property from Karesh Hardware in order to recover Sh352,633 owed to Edith Mutuku and Mary Wavinya.

Mr Nyabena told the Nation that those were genuine court documents and that he represents the two women, who, he said, had been employed by Karesh Hardware, which belongs to the former Kibwezi MP.

The warrant of attachment of movable property is dated December 15, 2016 and has been extended three times, the last time on March 28, 2017.

OLD CASE

However, speaking later by phone, Mr Ndile told the Nation that the court case in question is “an old one”.

“My lawyer told me that he dispensed with the issue a long time ago,” said Mr Ndile.

“Auctioneers do not come to your place in small cars. If at all they were auctioneers, what property did they hope to carry in three small cars carrying six people each? Besides, shouldn’t they have come through the OCS?” wondered Mr Ndile.

Efforts to get comments from the Mavoko MP were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or text messages seeking his side of the story.