Sievers Udo v Director of Public Prosecutions,Director of Immigration Services & Resident Magistrate Court at Nairobi [2015] KEHC 1235 (KLR)

REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA

AT MOMBASA

CONSTITUTIONAL PETITION NO. 91 OF 2014

SIEVERS UDO   ….................................................................................................. PETITIONER

VERSUS

1. THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

2. THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION SERVICES

3. THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE COURT AT NAIROBI........................... RESPONDENTS

RULING

The Notice of Motion application dated 17th March, 2015  and which  is expressed to be brought under  article  159 of the Constitution and  rules 3 and 19 of the Constitution  of Kenya (Protection of  rights  and fundamental Freedoms) practice  and procedure  rules 2013)  seeks the  following orders

Spent

That the  Court be pleased  to enlarge  the time  within which the petitioner  should  regularize  his stay  in the Country by  a period  of 90  days  from the  date   when the petitioner receives  his  passport.

That  the status  quo be maintained. That is the  petitioner should not  be arrested  and or  deported  by the  1st and 2nd Respondents  servants  or agents  on account  of his current   Immigration status in the Country.

The grounds  are that on the  18th day of February, 2014, this Court delivered a Judgment whereby proceedings in Nairobi Chief magistrate's Court Criminal  case No.  204 of  2014 were  declared null and   void  and the  petitioner  was   ordered to regularize  his stay in the   country  within three months  from 18th December,  2014.

That upon issuance of the said order the petitioner commenced  the procedure  of   following  up with the  release  of surety bond of Ksh. 400,000/= and cash bail  of Ksh.  100,000/= which  were deposited in Nairobi Chief Magistrate  Criminal case No. 204 of 2014 and also  the issue of the release of the  passport.

The process  was not  completed within the stipulated time.

Counsels  for the Respondents  did seek  instructions  to contest  this application but when  none  were  forth coming they did not  putt in any papers  in opposition.

In my  ruling  dated the 18th day  of December,  2014 I did  order the petitioner  to regularize his stay  in the country  within  three months from the date  of Judgment. This  was after the Court   found the  proceedings  in Nairobi Chief Magistrates criminal Case No 204 of 2014 to have  been in violation of article  49(i) (f) of the Constitution and  declared  them to  have been  null and void.

Subsequent  to my  ruling the petitioner had to seek the release of surety  documents,  cash bail and the  passport. Its quite  apparent that the process of retrieval of the said  items did take some  substantial amount of time  leading  to the expiry of the  stipulated  period of 90 days.

The  petitioner  herein seeks for the enlargement of time so  as to  enable him comply with the  orders of this  Court.

A perusal of the  proceedings  shows that there have been  numerous mentions  at the behest of the petitioner  and in which  counsels for the Respondents  participated in.  There appears to be  no serious  objection to this  application  by dint  of the Respondents  lack of  instructions  to their counsels  to oppose it.

In conclusion therefore,  there  being no  objection to the application  for enlargement  of time, and there  being no strong  public interest reasons to  expel the petitioner  who is a non national  parent I find   the application  has merit.

Time within which the  petitioner  is to  regularize   his stay in the Country  is enlarged  for a period of 90 days (ninety)  from the  date of  this  ruling. The status quo to be maintained as prayed in the  application.

Ruling delivered, dated and signed this 20th day of November, 2015.

….................

M.  MUYA

JUDGE

20TH NOVEMBER, 2015

In open Court in the presence of:

Counsel  for the Petitioner Mr. Gikandi

Counsel  for the Respondents absent

Court  Assistant Musundi

M. MUYA – JUDGE

20/11/2015