Nairobi resident wants MCA Majiwa jailed over debt

Nairobi’s Baba Dogo Member of County Assembly (MCA) Geoffrey Majiwa, who is also a former Nairobi mayor, risks going to jail over his failure to settle more than Sh500,000 debt.

Mr Anthony Kaunda Shakwila wants the MCA summoned to court to explain why he should not be committed to civil jail for failing to pay Sh893,686, which includes interest. The money was advanced to him but has not been paid back.

Mr Shakwila had advanced the politician Sh623,000. The MCA later gave a post-dated cheque which was, however, returned unpaid due to insufficient funds in Mr Majiwa’s account.

“Mr Majiwa failed to refund the Sh623,000 despite several reminders to do so,” Mr Shakwila, through lawyer Samuel Aduda, said in court papers.

He is demanding Sh893,686 which includes interest, following a consent recorded earlier in court last year where Mr Majiwa agreed he will settle the debt. The case will be heard on March 19, 2020.

Mr Majiwa is not new to controversies. A Sh283 million cemetery land scandal in Nairobi back in 2008 ended his career as the Mayor of the city as he was forced to resign and fight for his reputation in court.

He was, however, cleared of graft charges by the anti-corruption court.

The scandal arose from the decision by then City Council of Nairobi (CCN) to look for alternative land for a cemetery, arguing that Langata cemetery was getting full.

A meeting in 2005 by top officials had passed a resolution to buy 120 acres of land in Mavoko township in Machakos County. A sale agreement was reached in November 2008 and a transfer done in January 2009.

But it later turned out its value had been exaggerated. It was worth Sh24 million but officials quoted Sh259 million, plus other transaction fees.

A parliamentary investigation later implicated then Local Government PS Sammy Kirui and 12 other senior officials. President Mwai Kibaki would later interdict them and order recovery of the lost funds.

The Parliamentary Committee chaired by former Kisumu East MP Shakil Shabbir found that there had been a conspiracy by lawyers, traders and council officials to swindle the public.

Mr Majiwa also suffered another blow when he lost the race for the Ruaraka parliamentary seat in the March 4, 2013 General Election.

"My opponents used the charges I faced in the cemetery scandal case to portray me as a corrupt leader," Mr Majiwa said at the time.