Arrest warrant issued against ex-Java CEO over Sh7.9m fraud case
Crime and Justice
By
Nancy Gitonga
| Mar 24, 2026
A Nairobi court has issued an arrest warrant against former Java House CEO Derrick Cornelius Van Houten after he failed to appear in court for a mention of his Sh7.9 million fraud case.
Milimani Magistrate Caroline Mugo issued the warrant on Tuesday after the court clerk called out Houten's name but received no response.
His lawyer was equally absent from the courtroom. The no-show prompted the state prosecutor to immediately urge the court to take action over the unexplained absence, noting that the accused had skipped the proceedings.
Houten is currently out on cash bail of Sh500,000 following his earlier arraignment on charges of obtaining money by false pretence.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Houten is accused of fraudulently obtaining Sh7,911,000 from businessman Awil Abdirahman Adulle.
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The prosecution alleges that Van Houten, while serving as CEO of Java House, promised to facilitate the construction of a Java Hotel outlet in Narok town, a promise that allegedly never materialised.
"Derrick Cornelius Van Houten is alleged to have obtained a total of Sh7,911,000 from Awil Abdirahman Adulle, allegedly to be in a position to approve and construct a Java Hotel for him in Narok town," the charge sheet states.
The offences are said to have been committed on diverse dates between October 1, 2021, and January 31, 2022, within Nairobi County, during the period Van Houten served as Java's top executive.
The arrest warrant comes on the heels of a fresh civil court blow for the former CEO.
Last month, the High Court entered judgment against Van Houten, ordering him to pay Adulle over Sh9.4 million in damages.
In a judgment delivered on February 12, 2026, Justice Josephine Mongare of the Milimani High Court ruled that Adulle had sufficiently proved his case on a balance of probabilities, despite Van Houten and his co-defendant failing to call any witnesses or produce any evidence in their defence.
"The Plaintiff's suit is allowed, and judgment is entered for the Plaintiff against the 3rd and 4th Defendants, namely Van Houten and Kiss Cosmetics Limited, jointly and severally to pay Adulle Sh9,465,000 together with interest at the court rate of 12% per annum from the date of judgment until full payment," the judge ordered
The court found that Adulle, who owns property in Narok where he operates a petrol station and initially agreed to host a Java coffee shop, had been lured into making multiple payments to Van Houten.
Between November 2021 and August 2022, Adulle made payments totalling Sh13.2 million to Van Houten for purposes including renovation deposits, contractor payments, and the procurement of equipment and coffee beans, none of which were ever delivered.
A six-year lease agreement signed in December 2021 was abruptly terminated in October 2022, with Java citing the project as "not commercially viable."
A promised refund of Sh6.35 million by Van Houten also never materialised.
The High Court awarded Adulle Sh9,465,000, comprising Sh6,840,000 verified through receipts as payments made to Van Houten, and Sh2,625,000 paid to co-defendant Kiss Cosmetics Limited under a financing agreement.
The court dismissed Van Houten's counterclaim, in which he had sought Sh19 million from Adulle, claiming the two had separate personal business dealings.
Van Houten had argued in his defence that he was acting in his corporate capacity as Java CEO and could not be held personally liable.
The court rejected this argument, finding the evidence against him compelling given the absence of any rebuttal.
Despite the civil judgment, the criminal proceedings against Van Houten remain active, with the prosecution pursuing fraud charges related to the same transaction.