Students protest imprisonment of former legislator Lempurkel
Student leaders drawn from Samburu, Narok and Laikipia counties have faulted a court’s decision to jail former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel for one year without the option of a fine.
They said the imprisonment of Lempurkel, after he was found guilty in an assault case, was a violation of his constitutional rights.
Speaking in Nakuru yesterday, the students, led by Benard Santian, threatened to hold demonstrations to demand his release.
Santian claimed the court’s verdict was calculated to block the politician from being a candidate in next year’s General Election.
“Our leaders must be respected. No one is special before the law and we are seeing some leaders walking free yet they have done worse things than what the MP did,” he said.
Benson Lemaiyan claimed Lempurkel (pictured) was being harassed and asked leaders from the community to stand up for him.
Last Friday, Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani found him guilty of assaulting MP Sarah Korere in 2016 and sentenced him to one year in prison without the alternative of a fine.
Onkwani said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
