Stay of execution by Johnson Yesaya

A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. An aggrieved party in a civil suit may apply before court an order to stop a decree holder to perform any action relating to court decree. This is always done to allow an aggrieved party to Lodge appeal, review or revision at superior court without being affected by execution of court decree.

Powers of the court to stay execution of decree are provided under Order XXI Rule 24.-(1)  of the The Civil Procedure Code Cap 33 which provides that;  court  to  which  a  decree  has  been  sent  for  execution shall,  upon  sufficient  cause  being  shown,  stay  the  execution  of  such decree  for  a  reasonable  time,  to  enable  the  judgment  debtor  to  apply  to  the court  by  which  the  decree  was  passed  or  to  any  court  having  appellate jurisdiction  in  respect  of  the  decree  or  the  execution  thereof,  for  an  order to  stay  execution  or  for  any  other  order  relating  to  the  decree  or  execution which  might  have  been  made  by  such  court  of  first  instance  or  appellate court  if  execution  had  been  issued  thereby,  or  if  application  for  execution had been made  thereto.

(2)  Where  the  property  or  person  of  the  judgment  debtor  has  been seized  under  an  execution,  the  court  which  issued  the  execution  may  order the  restitution  of  such  property  or  the  discharge  of  such  person  pending the  result  of  the  application. 

(3)  Before  making  an  order  to  stay  execution  or  for  the  restitution of  property  or  the  discharge  of  the  judgment  debtor,  the  court  may  require such  security  from,  or  impose  such  conditions  upon,  the  judgment  debtor as  it  thinks  fit.