NAIROBI, Kenya (AXADLE) – The gears are turning for a Kenyan construction firm, as Kingsley Construction Limited pushes forward with plans to auction off the Somali Embassy in Nairobi. The reason behind this dramatic move? An unpaid renovation bill that has been gathering dust since 2016, amounting to KSh 25.6 million (roughly $174,080 USD).
Last Thursday, with anticipation palpable in the courtroom, Somalia’s plea to unfreeze the embassy’s bank accounts at Premier Bank Limited was turned down by a Kenyan judge.
High Court Judge Alfred Mabeya stood firm, sustaining the freeze on the accounts. This decision is tied to Somalia’s debt to the construction firm.
The contractor contends that the embassy breached the renovation contract, thrusting Somalia into hot water. Though Somalia invoked diplomatic immunity in an effort to lift the freeze, hoping to keep their finances fluid, the court decreed otherwise. Diplomacy has its limits, especially with commercial dealings.
Ergo, the embassy’s accounts are stuck in limbo, locked in place until the cash changes hands.
Even with earlier court decisions and attempts to hash out an agreement without legal wrangling, the debt still looms large.
Frustrated but undeterred, Kingsley Construction is now looking to recoup their money by putting the embassy’s assets on the auction block.
Both the Somali Embassy in Nairobi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mogadishu have remained tight-lipped, offering no comments on the brewing storm.
