Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has been summoned by the High Court to appear for mitigation ahead of sentencing after being found guilty of contempt of court in a case linked to Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule.
Justice Roseline Aburili directed Omollo to personally appear in court on January 20, 2026, after ruling that the Ministry of Interior had deliberately defied court orders to pay Sh868,825 in damages and Sh50,000 in costs awarded to Justice Muchelule following his controversial 2021 arrest by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
In a stinging ruling, Justice Aburili held that Omollo, as the Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, bore personal responsibility for the continued non-compliance.
“For the above reasons, I am satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, that the 1st respondent, the office holder and Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, is in contempt of the court orders of mandamus issued on June 11, 2025, for deliberately failing to settle the costs awarded to the applicant,” ruled Justice Aburili.
“He is therefore found and convicted for contempt of court.”
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The damages and costs were initially awarded by High Court Judge Jairus Ngaah, who on January 25, 2024, issued a clear directive ordering the Interior Ministry to settle the amounts. The order was ignored, triggering contempt proceedings against PS Omollo.
Through state counsel Kepha Onyiso, the ministry admitted willingness to comply but blamed delays on budgetary constraints and administrative hurdles. However, the court firmly rejected this defence.
Omollo had argued that he was not personally served with the court orders. Justice Aburili dismissed the claim, noting that the Attorney General’s office was actively involved in the matter and that Omollo’s office had been duly served.
“It follows that the question of personal service or budgetary allocation does not arise, since there is no evidence that the respondents even sought budgetary allocation to settle this and other decrees, or that any request was declined,” the judge said.
“That in itself indicates brazen disobedience of the court’s orders.”
The dispute stems from a dramatic July 22, 2021, DCI raid at Milimani Law Courts targeting the chambers of Justice Muchelule and disgraced judge Said Chitembwe. Investigators alleged they were searching for cash suspected to be corruptly acquired.
While money was allegedly recovered from Chitembwe’s chambers, none was found in Justice Muchelule’s office.
Following the raid, Justice Muchelule moved to court, suing the Inspector General of Police, the DCI, and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He successfully obtained orders barring police from arresting him and restraining the DPP from prosecuting him.
In his filings, Muchelule argued that his arrest was founded on mere suspicion, lacked a warrant, and that officers had no legal authority to search his chambers or premises.
The contempt conviction now places PS Omollo among a growing list of senior government officials facing personal liability for failure to obey court orders—an issue courts have increasingly warned undermines the rule of law.
With sentencing looming, the January 20 appearance is expected to draw intense public and legal scrutiny, as the judiciary continues to assert its authority against what it views as executive impunity.
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