NAIROBI, Kenya — The High Court has ordered former Nairobi County Finance County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Charles Kerich to surrender to prison within three days to begin serving a three-month jail sentence after declining to suspend his conviction for contempt of court.
The ruling followed an application by Kerich’s new legal team seeking to stay the custodial sentence pending the hearing and determination of fresh applications challenging the contempt conviction.
Through his lawyers, Kerich argued that he is a law-abiding citizen who had consistently attended court proceedings and was unlikely to abscond if granted temporary relief.
His advocates also informed the court that he ceased serving as Nairobi County Finance CECM on June 5, 2026, and had since filed an application seeking to purge the contempt and challenge the court’s earlier findings.
However, the court held that the first priority was to regularise the applications filed by the newly appointed advocates before considering their substance.
The judge noted that the court was well acquainted with the matter, having presided over the proceedings from the outset.
While directing that the applications be heard on July 29, 2026, the court declined to suspend the three-month custodial sentence in the interim.
Instead, the judge ordered Kerich to surrender to the relevant authorities within three days for committal to Industrial Area Prison to serve the sentence.
The court further directed that should Kerich fail to surrender within the stipulated period, police officers should immediately arrest him and treat him as a fugitive from justice.
The contempt proceedings arose from Kerich’s failure to comply with earlier court orders, which resulted in his conviction and subsequent sentencing for contempt of court.
The applications challenging the conviction and seeking to purge the contempt will now be considered during the hearing scheduled for July 29, 2026.
