Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

The Director of public prosecution Noordin Haji has been granted seven days by a Nairobi court to respond to a case where Kamukunji small traders are seeking the release of their goods worth millions of shiling.

Milimani senior principal magistrate Kenneth Cheriuyot allowed DPP and DCI a week to file a reply into a case by the traders through Philip Njuguna Kimani and Isaac Mwangi Kimani seeking orders to have their goods detained at DCI headquarters released to them.

The goods include mosquito coils which were imported from China and impounded at a go-down along Mombasa road by DCI officers mid last month

“The court be pleased to direct the respondents (DPP and DCI) to release to Njuguna all the seized suit goods to wit 980 boxes of arrow anti flies coil and 290 Naona flies killer coil” the traders through lawyer Wilfred Wachira urged the court.

The lawyer informed the court that Njuguna, as well as the Kamukunji suppliers and retailers of the suit goods will be exposed to financial ruins, loss of business and will suffer irreparable but no prejudice will be occasioned to the DPP and DCI of the goods are released

“Failure to release the goods in time will cause the traders to run at lose hence they invested millions of shillings,” urged traders

They alleged that the goods are not properly stored at DCI headquarters along Kiambu road and should be released to them as the goods will be destroyed well before their true expiry date.

“The goods will be expiring in the month of June 2022. The owners will need a shelf life of at least 8 months to enable them to sell the goods to consumers and final consumers will also need some time after purchase for the purpose of consuming the goods before they expire,” the traders says.

They argue that the goods are stored with other goods in the container which are gas cylinders, metallic items, bags of fertilizer, sugar cow licking salts and other assorted items and they are poorly packed with some heavy cartoons of different goods placed on top which has resulted in damage to some goods.

They also claim that the said goods require fragile and specialized storage to avoid further damage.

However, the traders while addressing the media outside Milimani law courts lauded the
Government through the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination for their kind gesture to release their goods which had also been impounded on July 1 this year.

The traders thanked interior CS Fred Matiangi for releasing their goods which include shoes worth hundreds of millions that were held for verification.

According to Businessman Kimani, the release of the goods will now boost their businesses which are already suffering due to covid-19.

This was after they held a fruitful closed door meeting with Cabinet

Secretary for Interior on Monday August 16 this year where the traders complained leading to
release of their shoes worth millions.

The traders also urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigation to release the goods which are held at the DCI headquarters.

The traders are currently struggling financially and have incurred huge loses and will continue to suffer financially if the said goods will not be released to them.

It is also on record that PS Interior Karanja Kibicho stressed that the goods in question were legally shipped in and cleared at the point of entry.