Economy
Kibaki’s daughter to auction controversial businessman over Lavington rent arrears
Monday May 22 2023
The Court of Appeal has upheld a decision by the High Court declaring changes to the Merchant Shipping Act unconstitutional. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Former president Mwai Kibaki’s daughter Judith Kibaki has been allowed to auction controversial businessman Kevin Obia over rent arrears amounting to Sh3.1 million.
Milimani principal magistrate B.M. Cheloti lifted a temporary order last week, granted to Mr Obia on March 20, stopping the recovery process.
This was after Ms Kibaki pointed out that Mr Obia obtained the order without disclosing all facts to the court.
Soon after the order was lifted, Ms Kibaki engaged Wiskam Auctioneers who proclaimed household items recovered from Obia’s house. The auction is set for May 24.
Among the items collected from the house on Chalbi Drive, Lavington includes two double-door refrigerators, an electric burner cooker, and eight pieces of dining chairs, a five-seater sofa set, a vacuum cleaner, beds and beddings, flower pots among others.
Ms Kibaki through his lawyer Paul Musyimi told the magistrate that Mr Obia had defaulted on rent payment of Sh2.5 million as of February.
Mr Musyimi told the magistrate that the orders stopping the property owner from interfering with the tenancy would advance illegality.
Documents filed in court showed that the two signed a lease for two years on a monthly rent of Sh350,000. The rent is payable on the first day of every month.
“Since occupying the suit premises, the applicant has consistently defaulted on payment of the monthly rent,” Ms Kibaki said.
As of January 31, he had rent arrears of Sh2.78 million and paid Sh996,000 on February 28. This was after he was served with a demand letter.
“That it is unconscionable for me to be restrained from interfering with the applicant’s tenancy yet he is defaulting tenant. Such an order defies all legal safeguards of a property owner,” Ms Kibaki said.
The showy businessman also known as Kevin Kleigh, alias The Don was sentenced to one year in jail for defrauding an Australian national of Sh13.7 million in a fake gold scam, in August 2021.
This was after Mr Obia was on Wednesday found guilty of defrauding one Christian Gallati on the pretext of selling him seven kilograms of gold.
He was handed an alternative of paying a fine of Sh300,000, which he did.
Mr Obia was found guilty of obtaining Euros 127,000 from Christian Galati, a Swiss national.
“He is doing all these when he presents himself as an international businessman, with several companies in various parts of the world,” the magistrate said when he passed the sentence.
