Ondiek in trouble over moonlighting
The Nairobi County executive in charge of roads and transport Mr Evans Ondiek is on the spot for holding two jobs.
The city lawyer commonly known for public interest cases, has been spotted in various courts representing clients a month after he was sworn in the roads docket.
The latest court appearance was last week during the mention of the Sinai fire tragedy where victims are demanding Sh25 billion compensation from the government. The case was taken to court by Nairobi Senator Gidion Mbuvi
Now, the Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee wants Mr Ondiek to resign from his law firm with immediate effect or face censure.
Mr Ondiek has defended his appearance in court saying the cases he has had are of public interest.
“There is no substantive law that bars me from going to court. It is only good practice that one takes a leave of absence from his firm to avoid conflict of interest,” said Mr Ondiek.
He said he is no longer in active practice but there are some cases which he is yet to fully hand over.
He said he had already received a part of the legal fees for the case and would not ordinarily drop them without a transition strategy. “I am in the process of handing over the case to a new lawyer. I am helping Senator Sonko to do so,” Mr Ondiek said yesterday.
The law prohibits county executives or chief officers from holding positions that give them gainful returns.