Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama and his co-accused Kennedy Onkoba have been released on a cash bail of Sh 1 million after spending four days in police cells.
In his ruling, Anti-corruption Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti said the prosecution failed to provide compelling reasons to deny the accused persons bail.
“The accused have a right to be granted bail unless there are compelling reasons as to why they should be denied bail, Ogoti ruled.
The prosecution had objected to the release on bail on grounds that the accused persons were at flight risk.
The two were charged with fraudulent acquisition of property worth Sh 60 million in Nakuru.
The MP and Onkoba were further charged with making a false document without authority, uttering a document with intent to deceive, willfully obtaining registration of land by false pretenses, misleading detectives from the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC)among others.
The two are alleged to have conspired to defraud Ahmed Muhammad Nisar on diverse dates between 3rd and 11th August 2015 in Nakuru county by means of dispossessing him off plot Nakuru municipality block 6/95.
According to the charge sheet, the two deceitfully pretended that they were then carrying on a genuine business of land transfer of the said plot to Samuel Otara Arama by means of entries inserted by them in the Nakuru lands office white card register records.
Both denied the charges on Monday 25th but remained on custody for a day pending the bond/bail ruling.
Several MPs mainly from Kisii region came to the courts in solidarity and condemned how the police have returned to their ways of arresting people on Fridays and detaining them over the weekend on bailable offences.
According to the lawmakers, they feel as if the Kisii people are being targeted because three of them have been detained over the weekend in the last one week.
- Those arrested include, Charles Ongwae, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBs) Managing director who was arrested alongside nine other officials Arama among others.
Ongwae and his co-accused denied charges of attempted murder for importing fertilizer said to contain mercury.
They further denied abuse of office, commission of a felony and breach of trust charges.
