Mandera County gov’t officials jailed for ignoring Ksh.11.7M land compensation order

Mandera County senior officials have been sentenced to one month in civil jail after failing to comply with a court order directing payment of Ksh.11.7 million in a land compensation dispute.

The Environment and Land Court in Garissa issued the ruling on Tuesday in the absence of the County Executive Committee Member for Finance, Ibrahim Mohamed Aden, and County Secretary Billow Issack Hassan, both of whom had been cited for contempt of court.

The case involves a parcel of land belonging to decree-holder Abdullahi Sheikh Ahmed, which the county government was found to have unlawfully occupied and developed by constructing a polytechnic without proper acquisition procedures.

The court had earlier ordered the Mandera County government to either vacate the land or compensate the owner, leading to an award of Ksh.11,730,733.33.

However, the court noted that despite clear directives, the county had neither settled the decretal amount nor deposited the money in court within the period granted.

“Having failed to comply with the court orders, the contemnors are hereby sentenced in absentia to serve one month imprisonment,” the court ruled.

The judge further issued warrants of arrest against Ibrahim Mohamed Aden and Billow Issack Hassan, ordering that they be apprehended and committed to jail.

The warrants are to be executed jointly by the OCPD Mandera County and the OCS of Akila Police Station in Nairobi.

The ruling marks a major development in the long-running dispute arising from Garissa ELC No. 27 of 2018, where the county was found liable for the unlawful acquisition of private land.

Earlier orders issued in March 2026, following a ruling delivered on February 27 by Justice S. M. Kibunja, had given the county 30 days to settle the amount or deposit the full sum in court, with a warning that failure to comply would attract personal consequences for the named officials.

The court had stated that compliance would purge the contempt proceedings and protect the officials from punitive sanctions, but continued non-compliance prompted the latest enforcement action.

A penal notice attached to the earlier orders warned that any disobedience or failure to observe the court’s directives would lead to legal consequences.

Counsel for the decree-holder, Samwel Ayeko, welcomed the decision, saying it reinforces the authority of the court and safeguards property rights.

The matter will be mentioned on June 4, 2026, to confirm whether the officials have been arrested and whether the outstanding amount has been paid.