• Justice Hellen Omondi ordered the current office bearers of the Eldoret Muslim Association to vacate their positions to pave way for new leadership of the association.
• The new leadership will manage the association property worth more than Sh1 billion.
The High Court in Eldoret has ordered the disbandment of a Muslim lobby's leadership.
Justice Hellen Omondi ordered the current office bearers of the Eldoret Muslim Association to vacate their positions to pave way for new leadership of the association.
The new leadership will manage the association property worth more than Sh1 billion.
She said that the current officials have been in the office illegally for the last two years after a lower court directed them to leave their positions.
In the case, two splinter groups of Muslims faithful have been wrangling over leadership and management of the association's resources in the North Rift region.
The NorthRift Youth Daawa group and Eldoret Muslim Association have tussled over several bank accounts, 14 prime plots within Eldoret town central business district and a commercial building.
Other disputed properties are several primary and secondary schools, rental plots in Pioneer estate and a six-acre prime piece land in the upmarket Elgon View estate.
The Daawa group chairman Suleiman Ewaton moved to court accusing the leadership of Eldoret Muslim Association of misusing the resources of the association.
Ewaton wanted the county director of criminal investigations to carry out probe alleged misuse of the association's properties including donor funds.
In a sworn affidavit before Eldoret High Court, Ewaton argued that since 1990 the respondents had not handed over the association’s properties to the interim committee members.
But the Muslim Association through their lawyer Andrew Kiboi said that they had conducted new elections as ordered by the lower court.
This was following the demands of the complainant who wanted new leadership at the Muslim Association.
Kiboi said that all the demands by Ewaton at the lower court and court of appeal had not been addressed.
He said the Muslim Association had produced all documents showing that no property had been disposed of without the consent or knowledge of other members as claimed.
Ewaton wants investigations to be carried out over the division of the mosque plots within Eldoret town and the respondents to avail the records of the rent for one of the commercial buildings.
He claims the building has realised an income of Sh.57 million for the last eight years.
(edited by O. Owino)