Escape to Dubai: Governor Sakaja faces jail over alleged help to convicted minister flees Kenya

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is facing the biggest legal crisis of his administration after a law firm filed an explosive lawsuit seeking to send him to civil jail for allegedly helping his finance minister escape the country to evade prison.

The High Court at Milimani is now the battleground for a high-stakes legal war that accuses the city boss of actively sabotaging the Kenyan justice system to protect one of his top cabinet members.

The Escape and the Debt

The crisis stems from a Sh106 million unpaid debt owed by the Nairobi County government to local firm Photm East Africa Limited.

Frustrated by the county’s refusal to pay, High Court Justice Francis Gikonyo convicted Nairobi Finance County Executive Committee (CEC) member Charles Kerich of contempt of court. Justice Gikonyo sentenced Kerich to a mandatory three-month prison sentence.

However, instead of being booked into prison, Kerich vanished.

“Principal Author of Conspiracy”

Court documents filed by Kwengu & Company Advocates claim that Governor Sakaja used his executive powers to orchestrate Kerich’s sudden departure to Dubai. The lawyers openly label Sakaja as the “principal author” of a calculated conspiracy designed to defeat the authority of the court and protect a fugitive official.

The law firm argues that Sakaja’s alleged actions completely undermine the rule of law, making him directly liable for civil jail for interfering with active court orders.

Police and County in the Spotlight

The unfolding scandal has dragged in multiple state agencies:

• The Inspector General: Police Chief Douglas Kanja is accused of failing to enforce the active warrant of arrest against Kerich.
• The Finance Ministry: Nairobi businessman Brian Yongo has launched a parallel legal battle demanding Kerich’s immediate removal from office, arguing a convicted individual cannot manage public funds.
• The 2026 Legal Lock: Kerich’s lawyers attempted to block the arrest warrant, but High Court Justice Mulwa refused to treat the application as urgent, pushing the next official hearing date far into July 2026.

As the gridlock intensifies, Governor Sakaja must now fight off claims of executive lawlessness to save himself from the very prison cell meant for his minister.