Prominent tycoon Suresh Kantaria is in a legal tussle to protect his vast estate from being auctioned off due to an ongoing divorce battle that has cost him dearly.
Kantaria, who made headlines in 2010 for a court order mandating him to pay Ksh 100 million to his ex-wife for maintenance, saw this amount reduced by the Court of Appeal in 2015 to a monthly payment of Ksh 350,000.
However, his failure to meet these obligations has now led to his properties being lined up for auction.
On November 4, 2024, High Court deputy registrar Saitabau Lesootia issued an order for the sale of Kantaria’s properties, including two houses and a plot in South C, valued at Ksh 28 million, and a piece of land in Gigiri, with an estimated value between Ksh 300 million and Ksh 500 million.
Joseph Gikonyo of Garam Auctioneers is appointed to oversee this public auction.
The court’s decision, however, comes with conditions.
A Ksh 15 million loan secured by the South C property at Prime Bank must be cleared first, including interest at 13% per annum.
Once settled, any remaining funds are to be held by Harit Sheth Advocates in an escrow account to service the ex-wife’s monthly maintenance.
Kantaria, fearing the loss of his life’s work, has appealed to High Court judge Hillary Chemitei to halt the auction. His urgent appeal, filed on November 19, was scheduled for December 9 but was postponed, pushing the hearing to March next year.
Frustrated by the delay, Kantaria has asked for Chemitei’s recusal, arguing that the judge has not addressed critical errors in the deputy registrar’s ruling, which contradicts Court of Appeal directives.
As the auction date looms on January 21, 2025, Kantaria contends that if his appeal isn’t heard promptly, his entire empire could be dismantled.
He insists that under civil procedure rules, the execution of such orders should be judicially reviewed, especially when contested.
Meanwhile, Mradula Kantaria, his ex-wife, claims her maintenance has escalated to Ksh 40 million since 2015, and she is yet to receive her 25% share of the properties as per the Court of Appeal’s ruling.
She has urged the court to dismiss these delaying tactics and finalise the matter.
The saga continues, with both parties entrenched in their positions and the legal battle stretching into its 27th year, casting a long shadow over what was once a formidable business empire.
