The High Court has ordered the Nairobi County Government to pay Ksh168.5 million in an outstanding court award after finding that the county had failed to honour a previous settlement despite repeated demands for payment to a local firm.

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In a judgment delivered on Friday, July 24, the court ordered the county and its Chief Officer for Mobility and ICT Infrastructure to pay the outstanding Ksh168,516,186.

The case stemmed from a commercial dispute in which the county had earlier entered into a consent agreement to settle a claim worth Ksh330 million.

However, only part of the amount was paid, leaving an unpaid balance of more than Ksh168 million.

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Court documents seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed that a Certificate of Order against the government had already been issued, directing the county to pay the outstanding sum.

The court noted that because Kenyan law bars the attachment of government assets to enforce court decrees, the successful party had no option but to seek an order compelling payment.

Justice William Musyoka observed that once a judgment has been entered against the government and the necessary certificate issued, the responsible public officials have a statutory duty to settle the amount owed.

"Once a judgment is entered against the Government and a certificate of order is issued, the obligation to pay becomes a statutory duty," the judge stated.

The court found that the applicant had followed all the required steps to recover the money, including formally notifying Nairobi County of the outstanding court award.

The judge therefore ordered the county to pay the outstanding Ksh168,516,186, warning that further legal action could be taken if it failed to comply with the ruling.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke