Duo sue MP for allegedly defaulting on ‘friendly loan’

Kabondo-Kasipul MP Silvance Osele has been sued by two individuals who accuse him of failing to pay a “friendly” loan of Sh500,000.

In a case similar to a recent one in which Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula had sued former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana for failing to pay a “friendly” loan of Sh12 million, Mr John Onyango Odullah and Mr Amos Onyango Okello allege in documents filed in court that they advanced to the MP a soft loan on the understanding that he would repay as soon as he came back from a foreign trip in Italy in November 2014.

“On or about October 31, 2014, Mr Osele sent one of his agents, Mr Collins Okendi to us, John Onyango Odullah and Amos Onyango Okello, to ask for a soft loan,” Mr Odullah says in the court documents through lawyer Muga and Muga Associates Advocates.

According to the court documents, the MP told the two that he was supposed to be part of a parliamentary delegation to Italy for a week but he did not have funds for his upkeep as his allowances had not been processed. The MP, the complainants allege, had promised to refund the money as soon as he returned but not later than November 11, 2014.

“Mr Osele really pleaded with us not to let him down since he had to travel and did not want embarrassments in Italy in the company of other colleagues,” claims Mr Odullah in the court filing.

The money is said to have been sent in two instalments on November 1 and 6 through a Co-operative Bank Parliament branch account held by Mr Osele’s supposed agent to be transmitted to the MP.

However, the two say in court documents, the MP has to date failed to honour his numerous promises or the complainants’ formal demand letter of April 1, 2015 sent to him through their lawyers.

Mr Okendi has also filed a witness statement confirming that he received the money from the complainants and transmitted the same to the MP.

The complainants are now demanding that the MP pay them the loan and the interest accrued as well as the costs of the suit.

Mr Osele told the Sunday Nation that he had yet to formally respond to the allegations filed in court, which he termed “something very small”.