NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 8 – The High Court has directed former Nairobi County Finance Executive Charles Kerich to surrender to authorities within three days to begin serving a three-month prison sentence after being found guilty of contempt of court.
The court rejected a request by Kerich’s lawyers to halt the sentence pending the determination of new applications recently filed in the matter.
His legal team argued that Kerich had complied with court processes, had not attempted to evade justice and remained available to attend court proceedings whenever required.
The lawyers further informed the court that Kerich ceased serving as the County Executive Committee Member responsible for the finance docket on June 5, 2026, and therefore no longer held the office linked to the dispute before the court.
They also disclosed that an application had been lodged seeking to set aside or purge the contempt findings.
However, the court ruled that the newly filed applications could only be considered after they had been properly placed before the court and validated procedurally.
The judge noted that the court was fully conversant with the matter, having presided over the case from the beginning, and directed that the applications be heard on July 29, 2026.
Despite setting a hearing date, the court declined to suspend the custodial sentence pending the outcome of the applications.
Kerich was consequently ordered to present himself to the relevant authorities within three days for committal to Industrial Area Prison to serve the sentence.
The court warned that failure to surrender within the stipulated period would result in his immediate arrest and treatment as a fugitive from justice.
The contempt proceedings stem from Kerich’s failure to comply with earlier court directives, which culminated in the conviction and subsequent three-month jail sentence.