In a landmark ruling, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and the CEO of Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company, James Ng’ang’a, have been ordered to pay a fine of Sh 2 million for contempt of court.
The decision, handed down by Justice Antony Omwayo, comes after the two were found guilty of defying a court order that prohibited the illegal disposal of waste into the Lake Nakuru Basin.
The ruling follows a previous judgment issued by the Environment and Land Court on September 24, 2024, which permanently restrained the Nakuru County government and the water company from dumping waste into the lake.
Despite this directive, Nakuru county government authorities allowed the continued disposal of solid, liquid, and toxic waste into the vital water source, causing serious environmental damage and threatening local wildlife.
In his decision, Justice Omwayo made it clear that Governor Kihika and CEO Ng’ang’a had willfully disregarded the court order.
“This court finds that the two respondents are in contempt of court orders issued on September 26, 2024. Governor Kihika and James Ng’ang’a are hereby jointly fined Sh 2 million and are ordered to comply with the orders of this court within a period of 6 months,” the judge stated.
The case was brought to court by Baboon Project Kenya, an environmental advocacy group, which filed a contempt of court application after photographic and video evidence showed continued dumping into the lake despite the explicit court ban.
The judge emphasized that both Kihika and Ng’ang’a were fully aware of the court’s order, and their failure to act had caused irreparable harm to Lake Nakuru’s ecosystem.
The court’s decision to impose the fine underscores the seriousness with which it views environmental violations and disobedience of judicial orders.
In addition to the financial penalty, the court has given the two a six-month deadline to fully comply with the original directive, demanding that all waste disposal into the Lake Nakuru Basin cease immediately.
