Police seek to lock up Tiaty MP as Lempurkel charged with hate speech
Roy Lumbe and Alphonce Mung’ahu
Tiaty Member of Parliament William Kamket was yesterday arraigned in Nakuru in connection with the strife in Laikipia county.
The lawmaker was arraigned virtually with investigators seeking 14 days to detain him pending conclusion of investigations over his involvement in the skirmishes.
Separately, former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel was charged with hate speech at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
Lempurkel, who appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Sinkiyian Tobiko pleaded not guilty and was released on Sh150,000 cash bail and one contact person pending hearing and determination of the case.
“Not guilty your honor, those are politically motivated charges,” Lempurkel said.
In Kamket’s case, Prosecution told Nakuru Principal Magistrate Lilian Arika that the MP wields considerable influence and has the ability to interfere with witnesses hence the need to detain him.
In an application presented by State Counsel Alloys Kemo, detectives averred that as such there was a high likelihood that Kamket may interfere with investigations by influencing witnesses in the matter.
Kemo said they intend to prefer charges of murder, robbery with violence, stock theft, malicious damage to property, incitement to violence and disobedience of the law, saying intelligence report received at the Regional DCI Headquarters in Nakuru placed the respondent at the area.
He added that the report indicated that Kamket met warriors on August 31 at Survey area of Olmoran where it is believed the plan to evict members of other communities within Laikipia was hatched and continues to be executed with abandon.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the offences were orchestrated on diverse dates between May 11 and September 8 and investigations are yet to be concluded.
We believe there are other persons involved and there is a need to pursue all credible leads we have received to unravel and apprehend all the perpetrators,” said Kemo.
He revealed that the manner in which the offences were committed portrayed a choreographed pattern with prior organisation, funding and planning by several masterminds including the respondent herein.
Kemo argued that the uprising in Laikipia could be the start of a much wider conspiracy and thus the need for the investigation team to be granted time to carry out in-depth and detailed investigations so as to unearth the planners and entire conspiracy.
Ample time
Owing to the complexity of the pending investigations, Kemo said the DCI- Laikipia has sought for assistance from their Nakuru countreparts.
He also said ample time is required to allow better coordination between offices of the two counties in order to conclude the investigations.
“It is necessary in the public interest that a thorough investigation be conducted as the uprising in Laikipia is not only a threat to national security but greatly undermines the administration of justice,” said Kemo
But Kamket, through his lawyers Kipkoech Ng’etich and Moses Kipkogei, accused the police of carrying out generic investigations, arguing that no witnesses had been listed in the matter, saying his client cannot interfere with any witness.
Ng’etich said his client was equally concerned by the situation in Laikipia and was saddened by the violence and calls for peace to prevail in the area currently under the control of criminals.
While opposing the application, Ng’etich noted that the charges the police want to prefer against his client was a fabrication, adding that the accusations are serious crimes against humanity.
Arika deferred the bond ruling to tomorrow, and directed that the accused be admitted to hospital after his lawyers claimed he was unwell.
