City Hall has been ordered to refund a widow Ksh17 million after the county auctioned her Nairobi home over alleged rent arrears.
Business Daily on May 14, 2021, reported that Mrs Phanice Ondeche Asitiba's three-bedroomed Kariobangi South house was auctioned in 1993 for Ksh250,000 over an alleged rent deficit of Ksh15,338.30.
Justice Sergon ordered Nairobi City County acting county secretary Musumba, county attorney Lydia Kwamboka, Finance CEC Allan Esabwa Igambi and finance officer Halake Wako to compensate the 87-year-old widow, after it was determined the sale was illegal.
The four officials were given until May 31 to make the payment, failure to which they will be sent to jail.
Asitiba's lawyer Wangira Okoba proved before the court that the widow had not arrears, arguing that, "sale by the then Nairobi City Council was illegal and a flagrant infringement of her rights."
The house was allocated to Asitiba, then a quarry worker, by NCC.
She told the court that she continued to pay rent to NCC without fail since her husband's death in 2002.
Justice Sergon determined that the auction of the house was irregular and unlawful, ordering that she be paid at the current market value of Ksh12 million.
