Race against time for Muthomi to raise bail
Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki was yesterday given 18 hours by a Nairobi court to process a Sh6 million cash bail, failure to which he would be remanded at the Industrial Area Prison.
In his bail ruling, Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate Douglas Ogoti granted Muthomi the cash bail or alternative bond of Sh10 million after denying a Sh34.9 million graft charge on Tuesday.
“I have considered the seriousness of the offences, roles of each of the accused persons, the amounts and all the submission by the defence on the bail,” ruled Ogoti.
Muthomi’s co-accused persons were released on separate cash bail terms ranging from Sh1 million to Sh5 million.
The magistrate directed that Muthomi and his co-accused be detained at the Integrity Centre, Parklands and Kileleshwa Police stations as they raise the bail terms.
Should they fail to raise the cash bail within the 18 hours, they shall be transferred to the Industrial Area Prison Remand, the magistrate ordered.
Muthomi will also be required to deposit his passport with the court together with a copy of his ID card. He was also barred from making contact with any of the witnesses.
Delivering the strict bond terms, Ogoti decried corruption saying it killed the economy.
He added that of late corruption has evolved from hundreds of shillings to millions of shillings yet there are no proper guidelines on cash bail relating to that.
Evidence material
The magostrate ordered the prosecution to supply the defence with the evidence material within 21 days pending pre-trial on November 25.
Earlier on Wednesday, the media had been barred from accessing the courtroom where the bail ruling was ongoing.
The journalists who had arrived in court a few minutes to 10am were ordered out by the security officers being given without reason.
After Ogoti arrived at 10:30 am for the ruling, journalists had to use force to access the court as the ruling was ongoing.
In the case allegedly conspired to commit corruption between January 1 and October 31, 2018 at Tharaka Nithi county offices in relation to tender for the supply and installation of an incinerator.
Muthomi, David Mwangi and Margaret Mugweru were jointly charged with fraudulent practices in procurement.
Ogoti was told that on January 2018 and September 24, 2018 at the county offices, the trio, being directors of Generation Electronic and Allied Ltd, fraudulently procured and supplied an incinerator to the county government in respect of the tender.
The magistrate heard that the accused persons supplied, installed and commissioned the incinerator while misrepresenting the facts that it was procured and supplied by Westomaxx Investments Ltd.
