Justice Moses Ado of the Nairobi High Court ordered Dorcas Mugure Mwangi, managing director of Chai Trading Company Limited, and Peter Mungai, head of procurement, to each pay a KSh 300,000 fine for contempt of court after they defied orders suspending the implementation of Tender No. CTCL/127/2025.

The contempt finding relates to court orders issued on 28 October 2025 and subsequently extended on 4 and 25 November 2025, which barred Chai Trading and the Kenya Tea Development Agency from awarding, executing or implementing the security contract pending further directions.

Applicants Anthony Manyara and Youth Advocacy Agency alleged that, despite the orders, Winstar Security personnel were deployed at the facility, presenting photographs of guards at the entrances and perimeter as evidence.

Chai Trading argued the deployment was an emergency, stop‑gap measure to protect produce belonging to over 650,000 farmers, and contested the applicants’ standing, claiming they had not participated in the tender.

Justice Ado rejected the standing objection, noting the applicants were parties to the original court order and therefore entitled to raise a breach, and found the respondents had clear knowledge of the orders.

The judge also held that Chai Trading failed to provide documentary proof that Winstar Security’s deployment was an independent emergency arrangement, concluding the action amounted to deliberate disobedience.

As part of the ruling, the court nullified Winstar Security’s presence on the premises and ordered its removal, while permitting the use of National Police Service officers or an independent security provider not linked to the disputed tender to avoid a security gap.

The respondents were also ordered to pay KSh 100,000 in costs to the applicants, and the judgment was delivered on 15 October 2026 as the underlying commercial dispute continues before the High Court.