Appellate judges get new offices after botched lease deal

The Judiciary is set to build a new complex to host the Court Appeal, nearly a decade after it spent Sh70 million to hire a controversial building that appellate judges never used.



The Judiciary said in a disclosure that the new complex would cover 20,000 square meters within Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.



“The Judiciary seeks to undertake the construction of the Court of Appeal Complex at Upper Hill area Nairobi County with an approximate plinth area of 20,000 square meters” it said as it invited bids for the design of the building.







Court of Appeal judges currently remain housed at the Supreme Court building after the Judiciary in 2013 rejected a leased office block within Upper Hill area in Nairobi on grounds that it emitted radioactive material.



The Judiciary spent Sh70 million to lease the building known at Elgon Place and even partitioned the judge’s chambers, offices and six courtrooms, among others.



Documents tabled before Parliament showed that the tender committee approved the award to Knight Frank (K) Ltd, agents of Sealink Holdings Ltd, the owners of the building, for the lease of 34,400 square feet at a monthly charge of Sh4,204,638, translating to an annual rent of Sh50,455,667.



With the fittings complete, the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Paul Kihara in a memo dated September 11, 2013, told all appellate judges to move to Elgon Place not later than September 17, 2013.



Court of Appeal judges however argued that the office block was emitting radioactive material, which could be a health hazard.



Elgon Place, which is located at the junction of Elgon Road at the junction of Upper Hill, has remained controversial since the snub by the Court of Appeal judges.



In December, auctioneers listed the building for sale due to debt. Insiders at Phillips International Auctioneers which listed the building auction on December 10 linked the sale to a breach of contract and an alleged debt owed by the owner of the building — Sealink Holdings Limited — to a bank. It is not clear if the auction took place.



Nation