Peter Salasya ordered to appear in court after businessman sues over Sh500,000 debt

Mumias East MP Peter Salasya. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has been ordered to appeal in court on November 8 to defend himself against a claim of Sh500,000 debt.

A businessman told the Kakamega Small Claims Court said that an out-of-court settlement that the MP suggested had collapsed.

Robert Malenya Lutta sued the MP last week, alleging Salasya had failed to repay the money in two months as agreed.

"Being a friend for so many years, I accepted to advance him the amount on December 13 last year," he said in his court papers.

"On the material day, I proceeded to the Kenya Commercial Bank, Mumias branch, where I made a direct transfer of the Sh500,000 to the personal account of the MP, who promised to refund the amount within a period of two months from the date of the transaction."

Lutta now claims the MP has since failed to repay despite frequent reminders. He asked the court to compel Salasya to refund the money with interest and pay the cost of the case.

Lutta has attached the bank transfer details, which show the money changing the accounts from his to that of the MP.

The businessman says he is ready to employ the Civil Procedure Act (Section 38) that allows the imprisonment of debt defaulters to commit the MP to civil jail should he be found guilty of defaulting.

Resident Magistrate Gladys Kiama on Monday asked the petitioner to serve the MP in readiness for the hearing.