Nyong’o’s nephew wants him, 4 sisters jailed for contempt

A nephew of Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has filed a case seeking a six-month jail term for the county boss and his four sisters for their refusal to comply with a court order in a multi-million shilling property row.

The move came minutes after the governor and his sister Risper Nyagoy withdrew an appeal they had filed to challenge the High Court’s order directing them to include contesting nephews on the inheritance list for the property left behind by their father. Kenneth Okuthe wants Prof Nyong’o and his sisters — Dr Nyagoy, Susan Mudhune (former Safaricom director), Esther Nyong’o, and Mary Owiti — committed to jail for a period not exceeding six months for defying the October 11 court order.

The High Court had also asked the governor and his sisters to provide books of account for their father’s property including 100 acres of land in Miwani and flats on Jogoo Road in Nairobi. Other are parcels of land are in Manyatta, Tamu, Milimani estate and East Rata in Seme Sub-County, Kisumu. The orders were to be complied with in 45 days or by November 25.

The Nyong’o’s appealed against the High Court directives but failed to get orders to suspend them, setting the stage for the contempt of court suit.

The judge had directed that the county chief and his sisters include all children of their sisters as beneficiaries of the multi-million-shilling property left behind by the Senior Nyong’o. The judge had also revoked administrative letters and a certificate of confirmation of grant that placed Prof Nyong’o and Dr Nyagoy as the sole controllers of the estate.

The papers appointed one of the nephews, Mr Okuthe, as a co-administrator of the late Hesbon Shimei Nyong’o’s estate estimated to be worth more than Sh200 million.

Yesterday, Prof Nyong’o and his sisters signaled that they will no longer be proceeding with the appeal which had sought to delay implementation of the order.

This means that the Nyong’os have the option of honouring the court order or engaging in further out-of-court negotiations with the nephews.

Prof Nyong’o and Dr Nyagoy had challenged the court’s orders saying that they were not satisfied with the ruling and arguing that their challenge had a higher chance of succeeding.

In the new application, the nephew is seeking to have the five jailed for “ridiculing and undermining” the institution of the court.

“This honourable court issued an order to have the respondents herein to within 45 days from the date of ruling to render and file in court an account of the deceased’s estate from July 9, 2014 when the grant was issued to them but since then nothing has been done,” said Mr Okuthe.