Kerich avoids jail as Sh30m payment secures freedom
Former Nairobi finance chief Charles Kerich avoided a three-month jail sentence after reaching a settlement in a long-standing legal fees dispute. He paid Sh30 million to the law firm Kwengu and Company Advocates, with a schedule set for the remaining balance.
Why it matters
The case highlights issues of government accountability and the enforcement of court orders regarding public debt and legal obligations.
The Milimani Law Courts /FILE Former Nairobi finance chief Charles Kerich has had a three-month jail term lifted after the High Court set aside contempt orders following a settlement agreement.
The High Court rescinded the custodial sentence after Kerich and the law firm Kwengu and Company Advocates reached an agreement in a protracted Sh106.7 million legal fees dispute that included an immediate payment of Sh30 million.
On Thursday, Kerich and the law firm presented a payment schedule that persuaded Justice Francis Gikonyo to set aside the contempt order that had required the former county executive to serve a three-month jail term at Industrial Area Remand Prison.
The proceedings took a new turn after Kerich's legal team informed the court that the parties had reached a settlement.
Kerich had personally remitted Sh30 million to the law firm, with the balance to be paid according to a schedule tabled before the court.
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