Why Didmus Barasa risks life imprisonment after slapping musician-cum-contractor Steve Kay
Kiminini Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa has been charged with causing grievous harm to contractor and musician Stephen Wekesa Masinde.
Barasa, who was arrested on Monday morning at his home in Kimilili, risks life imprisonment.
Section 234 of Penal Code states: "Any person who unlawfully does grievous harm to another is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life."
Police say they received a P3 form from the musician after the July 30 drama witnessed at Baptist Lurare Primary School.
On Friday, July 30, Barasa was set to commission five new classrooms built at Batptist Lurare Primary School through National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) at Kamukuywa, Kimilili.
Drama ensued after Barasa found out that musician Steve Kay together with one Ronald Graham had locked up the new classrooms demanding a cheque of Ksh3.4 million for construction fees before handing over the new classrooms.
However, hours after the video footage of Barasa slapping the contractor went viral on social and mainstream media, the controversial MP crafted a different story about the incident saying he did not commit the act.
Speaking at Namasanda Primary School in the same constituency shortly after the drama, Barasa said he only approached the contractor to inform him to zip up his trouser but he ran away thinking he wanted to beat him.
“…Kwa vile ni raifiki yangu nikaona nikama alienda kujisaidia na alikua hajafunga zip. Mimi naona gari yake ndogo iko ndani hajafunga nikasema wacha nikimbie nimwambie garage yake iko empty funga duka. Sasa wakati nilienda kumuambia hivo akatoroka mbio akafikiria naenda kumpiga. ( Because he is my friend, I thought he had gone for a short call and failed to zip up his trouser. I saw his private part hanging outside and the trouser is unzipped and I said let me go and tell him to zip up. But when I was taking a step towards him, he started running away thinking that I was going to fight him),” Barasa said.
According to the legislator, he had tried several times to alert Masinde in a coded message of his open zip but he could not get it.
