Why ex-sports CS Echesa will have to spend weekend in police cells despite being granted bail
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa will spend his weekend in police cells.
This is after the court ruled that he remains in custody until Monday at 6pm to allow police complete investigations which include a search in his house.
Upon completion of the search, Echesa will be released on a Sh1 million cash bail.
And as the court made the ruling, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) boss Francis Atwoli claimed his curse on the former CS in 2019 was now working.
Atwoli who spoke to the media on Echesa’s arrest Friday minutes before his arraignment to face fraud charges in Sh39 billion arms deal declared that the ex-CS is suffering for disrespecting elders like him.
"I cursed the boy, I said I will see him go down. I told him I was his father, his elder, even if I was naked, he needed to cover me. Even if his father was naked, he needed to cover him," he said.
"You don't let your father go naked, I told him I would watch him go down and he would never see me going down," added Atwoli.
Atwoli had on January 5, 2029 prayed to God to punish Echesa for allegedly talking about his family affairs in public. Atwoli was then speaking during the burial of Lugari MP Ayub Savula’s daughter, Joanne Chepchirchir at Manyonyi village.
Echesa was arrested Thursday by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives over over Sh40 billion fake military tender.
He was arraigned Friday morning at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) court. Detectives had asked the magistrate to be allowed to detain him for 21 days to complete investigations.
The prosecution said investigators need to travel to the US to collect more evidence.
The court heard that releasing him would jeopardise, investigations, particularly collection of evidence, some of which was found in the possession of the suspect.
However, his lawyer Evans Ondieki opposed the request by the prosecution while claiming the reasons behind his arrest were political.
His defence team also alleges that his arrest is malicious, given the timing and the number of days the prosecution wants to hold him.
The magistrate allowed police to detain Echesa and other suspects and also to conduct search in their homes.
The former minister will be held at Muthaiga Police Station.
