PS Omollo faces jail over failure to pay Judge Sh868,000

By Newsflash Writer

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has been summoned by the High Court for mitigation ahead of his sentencing in a contempt of court case linked to Court of Appeal judge Aggrey Muchelule.

Justice Roseline Aburili directed Omollo to appear on January 20, 2026, after the Ministry of Interior failed to pay the judge Sh868,825 in damages and Sh50,000 in costs stemming from his 2021 arrest by a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer.

“For the above reasons, I am satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, that the 1st respondent, the office holder and Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, is in contempt of the court orders of mandamus issued on June 11, 2025, for deliberately failing to settle the costs awarded to the applicant in JRE112 of 2021, in addition to the costs in the mandamus order. He is therefore found and convicted for contempt of court,” stated the judge.

Judge Muchelule was originally awarded the sums by High Court Judge Jairus Ngaah, who also issued an order on January 25, 2024, directing the Interior Ministry to make payment. The directive was not implemented, prompting the contempt case against PS Omollo. The ministry, through state counsel Kepha Onyiso, said it was willing to comply with the order but cited budgetary constraints and other challenges.

Court rejects PS Omollo’s defence

In his defence, Omollo argued he had not been personally served with the orders directing payment. Justice Aburili, however, noted that the Attorney General’s office had been involved in the proceedings and confirmed that Omollo’s office had been properly served.

“It follows that the question of personal service or budgetary allocation does not arise, since there is no evidence that the respondents even sought budgetary allocation to settle this and other decrees, or that any request was declined. That in itself indicates brazen disobedience of the court’s orders,” said Justice Aburili.

The matter traces back to a July 22, 2021, DCI raid at Milimani Law Courts targeting the chambers of Judge Muchelule and disgraced judge Said Chitembwe. Officers alleged they found cash suspected to be corruptly acquired, though no money was discovered in Muchelule’s office.

Following the raid, Justice Muchelule sued the Inspector General of Police, DCI, and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), securing court orders barring police from arresting him and the DPP from prosecuting him. In his court papers, Muchelule stated his arrest was based on unfounded suspicions, and that the police lacked both a warrant for his arrest and authority to search his chambers or premises.