The Environment and Lands Court sitting in Malindi town, Kilifi County has jailed a 71 year old Italian investor Roberto Lenzi for three months or pay a Ksh. 300,000 fine for disobeying court orders that had barred him from subdividing a contested piece of land in Watamu area.
Lenzi, who is the director of Seven Island Watamu limited, an executive beach resort, had allegedly gone ahead and subdivided the land into three portions despite an existing court order pending hearing and determination of the case.
Watamu Men Fridays limited had sued Lenzi and told the court through their advocate Jackline Chepkwony that while the suit was pending, Lenzi and others registered the subdivision of three portions namely parcel no Kilifi/Jimba/1719, Kilifi/Jimba/1720 and Kilifi/Jimba/2021 contrary to prohibitory orders issued by justice Mwangi Njoroge in October 2019.
“We’re praying that the court issues a maximum penalty for disobeying this court orders and the mitigation is not justifiable for any monetary sum and we are saying, let him be committed to civil jail for disobedience of court orders which serves the purpose of deterring other people from disobeying court orders,” said Chepkwony while pressing for Lenzi to be punished by the court.
Justice Njoroge in his sentencing stated that he had listened to mitigations from Lenzi and served him three-month jail term with an alternative of a Ksh 300,000 fine.
“Having considered all the submissions in mitigation, I find that I should sentence Mr Lenzi. I therefore sentence Mr Roberto Lenzi, the director of Seven Island Watamu Limited to a fine of Sh. 300,000 and in default he shall be imprisoned for a term of three months and it is so ordered,” he said.
