Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has suffered a legal setback after the High Court dismissed his attempt to block the auctioning of his properties. The case revolves around a Ksh54 million loan Kuria borrowed from Equity Bank in 2018, which he has been unable to repay.
Kuria admitted to owing the debt but explained that he could not develop the properties as planned due to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He claimed that the pandemic caused a sharp rise in building material costs and that he was hospitalized for leg rehabilitation following an accident during the same period.
The loan agreement required monthly payments of Sh402,832, but Kuria failed to honor them. In documents presented to the court, Equity Bank explained that the loan, initially intended for construction, fell into arrears when Kuria failed to service the debt as agreed.
The properties set to be auctioned include apartments in Ruaka and Juja, located in Kiambu County. These properties were used as collateral for the loan. Despite Kuria’s efforts to renegotiate repayment terms and his partial payment of Ksh5.7 million, Justice Aleem Visram ruled that Kuria did not meet the legal requirements to prevent the auction. The court confirmed that Equity Bank had followed all necessary procedures in recovering the debt.
While Justice Visram expressed sympathy for Kuria’s health struggles, he stated that these circumstances did not provide sufficient legal grounds to grant an injunction. “The relevant statutory notices were duly served, and the Bank’s statutory powers of sale have crystallized in accordance with the law,” the judge remarked.
By Grace Githinji
kke26r