Simiyu v Kibera Chief Magistrates Court (Thereafter Bungoma Chief Magistrates Court) & 8 others (Civil Appeal (Application) E343 of 2021) [2023] KECA 1028 (KLR) (4 August 2023) (Ruling)
Neutral citation:
[2023] KECA 1028 (KLR)
Republic of Kenya
Civil Appeal (Application) E343 of 2021
HM Okwengu, HA Omondi & PM Gachoka, JJA
August 4, 2023
Between
Tome Francis Simiyu
Applicant
and
Kibera Chief Magistrates Court (Thereafter Bungoma Chief Magistrates Court)
1st Respondent
The Judicial Review Division at the High Court of Kenya Nairobi-Milimani
2nd Respondent
The Bungoma Chief Magistrates Court
3rd Respondent
and
The Director of Public Prosecutions
1st Contemnor
Director of Criminal Investigations
2nd Contemnor
County Assembly of Bungoma
3rd Contemnor
Clerk County Assembly of Bungoma
4th Contemnor
County Executive of Bungoma
5th Contemnor
The County Secretary & Head of Public Service County Government of Bungoma
6th Contemnor
(Memorandum of Appeal under certificate of urgency from the judgment and decree (Ngaah J) delivered on 24th May 2021 in H.C. Misc. Contempt application No. E1093 of 2020
Judicial Review E1093 of 2020
)
Ruling
1.By a notice of motion dated July 31, 2022, the applicant Tome Francis Simiyu who is in person has moved this Court under articles 1, 2, 3, 10, 22(1), 22, 23, 27, 33, 35, 41 47, 48, 50, 73, 232, 258 and 259 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 as read with section 7 and 8 of the Fair Administrative Action Act The prayers sought by the applicant in the motion are as follows:(i)That this honourable court be pleased to order for stay of execution of the ruling and/or decree made on May 24, 2021 in JR E1093 of 2020 at Milimani Court until this appeal is heard and determined whichever way.(ii)That this appellate court admits the appellant’s contempt application against the contemnors (herein 4th 5th 6th and 7th defendants) and orders them to purge their contempt.(iii)That the appellant be granted the costs of this appeal and the costs in the judicial review division at the high court of Kenya at Nairobi Milimani in respect of contempt application.
2.The motion is supported by grounds stated on the face of the motion and an affidavit sworn by the applicant on July 31, 2021. Although the grounds stated on the face of the motion and the affidavit are fairly lengthy, the background to the motion is fairly simple. The applicant moved to the high court judicial review division and obtained leave from the high court (Mativo, J. as he then was) on September 8, 2010 (orders issued electronically on September 9, 2010), for leave to file judicial review proceedings against the respondents with regard to criminal proceedings against him in Kibera Chief Magistrates Court Criminal Case No 810 of 2020.
3.The high court also ordered that the leave to file judicial review operates as stay of the criminal proceedings against the applicant. The order was in the following terms:
4.By a notice of motion dated September 16, 2020 filed in the high court, the applicant sought to have the respondents committed to civil jail for contempt of the court orders that were issued on September 8, 2020. Upon the high court (Ngaah, J), hearing the application, he delivered a ruling in which he dismissed the motion, holding that the motion was incompetent and misconceived.
5.The applicant who is aggrieved by that order filed the current motion. He faults the learned Judge for dismissing his application and contends that the ruling has violated his constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms, and that if executed, the ruling will have far reaching negative consequences on his job, professional career and social economic livelihood. The applicant is apprehensive that unless the court stays the orders in the impugned ruling, the 6th and 7th respondents will carry out the illegal and irregular interdiction that will result in the applicant’s denial of his employment and labour rights. He faults the learned Judge for dismissing his application on technicalities, maintaining that the alleged contemnors were actually served with the stay orders that were issued by Mativo, J.
6.The applicant relied on Shimmers Plaza Limited v NBK [2015] eKLR, where the Court held that knowledge of a court order is sufficient to prove service and dispensed with personal service for purposes of contempt proceedings. The applicant also referred to various authorities in his application which we do not find appropriate to refer to as they are effectively arguments in regard to the substantive appeal.
7.During the hearing of the application, the applicant appeared in person. Although the respondents were all duly served on November 1, 2022 at 12.03 p.m. through email, none of them appeared in Court nor have they filed any reply to the motion.
8.The applicant is seeking an order for stay of execution. This Court has the power to grant such an order under rule 5(2)(b) of the Court of Appeal Rules 2022. However, the applicant has not moved the Court under this Rule but has invoked several articles of the Constitution and sections 7 & 8 of the Fair Administrative Actions Act, which would not be applicable at this stage.
9.Be that as it may, as already indicated above, the applicant seeks to stay execution of the ruling and decree made by the high court on May 24, 2021. The ruling dismissed the applicant’s motion dated September 29, 2020. To that extent, the order made by the court was an order for dismissal.
10.In George Ole Sangui & 12 others v Kedong Ranch Limited [2015] eKLR, this Court dealing with an application for execution of a similar order of dismissal, had this to say.
11.Likewise, in this matter, the learned Judge of the high court declined to grant the orders for committal of the respondents. That order was a negative order which is not capable of execution. In regard to costs, the learned judge ordered costs to abide the outcome of the substantive motion. At this stage there is no order for costs in favour of the respondent and there is nothing to be executed against the applicant.
12.For the above reasons, we dismiss the applicant’s motion. We make no orders as to costs.
DATED AND DELIVERED AT NAIROBI THIS 4TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2023.HANNAH OKWENGU........................JUDGE OF APPEALH. A. OMONDI........................JUDGE OF APPEALM. GACHOKA CIArb, FCIArb.........................JUDGE OF APPEALI certify that this is a true copy of the originalSignedDEPUTY REGISTRAR