Parents lobby leadership row escalates
Leadership wrangles at the National Parents Association (NPA) escalated yesterday after the new office bearers filed contempt of court proceedings against the ousted office bearers.
The new leaders, led by national chairman Silas Obuhatsa and secretary general Eskimos Kobia accused the ousted team led by former chairperson Nicholas Maiyo of refusing to hand over the organisation’s offices and documents as directed by the court.
“On September 19, the High Court through Lady Justice Ong’undi ordered Nicholas Maiyo (the former chairman NPA) and his officials to hand over the organisation’s offices, and all other properties and documents including bank accounts in seven days,” said Obuhatsa, in a statement yesterday.
He said the court orders of September 19 were served a day later upon Maiyo, Sarah Kagendo Mitambo who deputizes him and Jeremiah Nyakundi as the former Chief Executive of the association.
But Maiyo has insisted that he is legally in office, adding that the said new team is not affiliated to NPA.
The new team has, however, termed it as unfortunate that the former senior officials decided to disregard lawful orders of the court.
Last Friday, the Obuhatsa team instructed their lawyers to prepare the necessary contempt of court application against the three officials, which was subsequently filed on September 27.
“In the Application we have prayed for Maiyo, Kagendo and Nyakundi be cited for disobeying lawful orders of the court issued on September 19. We have further requested the court that once the three officials are cited for contempt, the court issues a warrant of arrest against them and be brought before this court,” he said.
They also want the three to be committed to Nairobi Industrial Area Remand Prison and Nairobi Women Prison-Langata for a duration not exceeding six months or period as the court may deem fit and expedient, for disregarding court orders.
It was also reprieve for the new team after Lady Justice Thande directed on September 27 that the matter to be placed before the Presiding Judge for directions on October 6.
“We condemn the action of Maiyo and his team of disregarding lawful orders of the court and we regard those actions as impunity of the highest order and therefore we shall be requesting the court on October 6 to assert its authority and punish the contemnors accordingly,” Obuhatsa said.
Last year, the High Court dismissed the NPA officials headed by Maiyo saying the team was illegally in office and ordered fresh elections.
Similarly, Justice Hedwig Ong’udi revoked a Gazette Notice dated May 31, 2022, which recognised Maiyo and others as NPA officials. The court also permanently restrained Maiyo and his committee from transacting any business on behalf of parents nationally.
Ong’udi approved Obuhatsa leadership who was gazetted vide Gazette Notice No.10685 on September 9.
In May, NPA’s National Elections Board (NEB) called for new elections after nullification of former leadership, which were conducted on August. Maiyo has served as the national chairman since October 2016.
