By Sam Alfan.
A former director of Oki General Trading limited Honey Katwani and his wife Jayesh Soni have been ordered to pay their former employer Sh25.8 million.
Katwani, Soni, Poonam Mangtani and their firm- Galaxy Middle East & Africa limited- agreed by consent to pay Oki General Trading the amount to stop an auctioneer from selling their assets.
The consent stated that the USD 200,000, would be made in exchange of the goods that had been attached by Siuma Auctioneers and which were to be auctioned on October 13.
“Galaxy Middle East Limited T/A Smart pro (Your Trust Our Mission), Honey Khatwani, Jayesh Soni and Poonam Mangtani (the 1st to 4th Defendants herein) to provide Oki General Trading Kenya Limited with an inventory of the goods that were attached by Siuma Auctioneers,” state the consent.
The former employee rushed to court seeking a temporary injunction restraining Oki General Trading ltd, from disposing or transferring the goods that were seized from the firm’s warehouse at Omega Business Park, Baba Dogo, in Nairobi.
He submitted that the judgement entered against them, in their absence on 24 July 2025, was irregular.
He said they were not properly served with the pleadings, to enable them defend the suit.
“I was thereby denied an opportunity to be heard, and the judgment and decree are unlawful, irregular, and contrary to the rules of natural justice,” he told the court.
Soni maintained that she was never served with the summons to enter appearance dated 29 May 2025, or with any pleadings in relation to the suit.
She said it was particularly curious and telling that Oki General Trading ltd purported to have effected summons dated 29 May 2025, when in fact the summons to enter appearance issued by the court were only prepared and issued on 24 June 2025.
Oki General Trading filed an application before the High Court’s Commercial Division, seeking a judgment against the company and directors.
The company also requested a permanent closure of warehouses in Nairobi and Mombasa operated by Galaxy Middle East & Asia Limited and a return of the goods stored therein.
The judgment was entered against three for an amount of USD 2,786,806 (approximately Sh362,284,786).
But according to Soni, she became aware of the proceedings when Siuma Auctioneers raided the company’s warehouse at Baba Dogo, Nairobi on 21 August 2025.
She said the auctioneers claimed to be executing a judgment but stated that they did so without service of any proclamation notice, warrants, or other lawful process.
Soni said following the unlawful raid, the auctioneers went ahead and advertised the public auction.
“If the sale proceeds, goods worth millions of shillings will be permanently lost, my proprietary rights extinguished, and my intended challenge to the judgment rendered nugatory,” they told the court.
They added that the unlawful execution had caused them grave financial prejudice, operational disruption and reputational harm.
“The attached goods are critical to ongoing business operations, and their disposal will occasion irreparable damage which cannot be compensated by an award of damages,” she told the court.
She said Oki’s conduct in seeking to enforce an irregular judgment amounts to bad faith and abuse of the court process. It is intended to unjustly enrich the Oki General Trading while crippling legitimate business operations.
