The High Court has sentenced Acting Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli to six months in prison for contempt of court. Justice Lawrence Mugambi ordered Masengeli to report to the Commissioner General of Prisons. If he fails to do so, the Cabinet Secretary for the Interior must ensure his commitment to prison to serve the sentence, according to the judge.
However, Masengeli may avoid serving the sentence if he appears in court within the next seven days to address the issues he has been avoiding. “Masengeli can redeem himself by appearing in court in person; if he does not, the sentence will take effect,” Judge Mugambi stated.
Before the sentencing, Masengeli made a last-minute attempt to avert it. Through his advocates, Cecil Miller and Steve Ogolla, he expressed regret for his previous non-attendance and affirmed his respect for the court and its authority. Miller requested a suspension of the sentence, arguing that Masengeli was genuinely unable to attend due to his work commitments.
However, Judge Mugambi rejected this request, stating, “As a court, I wouldn’t want to be unfair to anyone. I’ve done more than I could to accommodate him. I gave him more than fair chances. I even accommodated him on the last day.”
On Monday, Masengeli was found guilty of contempt of court. He had been required to appear in court to explain the disappearance of three individuals in Kitengela, who went missing on August 19. Despite several summons, Masengeli had failed to attend. Instead, he sent Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Lagat, to represent him, citing his presence in Wajir for security matters.
In his ruling, Judge Mugambi criticized Masengeli for holding the court at ransom, noting that it has been unable to determine what happened to the petitioners due to his absence.
