Section 157 of the Companies Act states that:
(1) There shall be attached to every balance sheet laid before a company in general meeting a report by the directors with respect to the state of the company’s affairs, the amount, if any, which they recommend should be paid by way of dividend, and the amount, if any, which they propose to carry to reserves within the meaning of the Sixth Schedule.
(2) The said report shall deal, so far as is material for the appreciation of the state of the company’s affairs by its members and will not in the directors’ opinion be harmful to the business of the company or of any of its subsidiaries, with any change during the financial year in the nature of the company’s business, or in the company’s subsidiaries, or in the classes of business in which the company has an interest, whether as member of another company or otherwise.
(3) If any person being a director of a company fails to take all reasonable steps to comply with the Provisions of subsection (1), he shall, in respect of each offence, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand shillings or to both: Provided that–
- in any proceedings against a person in respect of an offence under subsection (1), it shall be a defence to prove that he had reasonable ground to believe and did believe that a competent and reliable person was charged with the duty of seeing that the provisions of that subsection were complied with and was in a position to discharge that duty; and
- a person shall not be liable to be sentenced to imprisonment for such an offence unless, in the opinion of the court, the offence was committed wilfully.
