Ruto lawyer pulls out of fraud case
Mr Kioko Kilukumi has withdrawn from being William Ruto's lawyer citing his recent nomination as Director of Public Prosecutions by President Mwai Kibaki. Photo/FILE
Kioko Kilukumi - one of the four men whose nominations to key State jobs last Friday has sparked a controversy in the Grand Coalition government - has withdrawn from being William Ruto’s lawyer in a fraud case.
Mr Kilukumi was the suspended Higher Education minister's advocate in a corruption case where together with seven others, he is accused of purporting to sell part of a forest to a parastatal.
Amongst those accused in the case are Mr Joshua Kulei, a former aide to retired president Daniel arap Moi and Sammy Mwaita, former Commissioner of Lands and currently Baringo Central MP.
Mr Ruto is accused of accepting at least Sh38.8 million from former Kenya Pipeline Company manager Hellen Njue, by pretending he would sell the oil firm land in Ngong Forest.
When the case came up for hearing on Monday, Mr Kilukumi said it would be unethical and professionally untenable for him to continue representing the suspended minister in light of President Kibaki's nomination as Director of Public Prosecutions.
"I have held consultations with my client and he has graciously allowed me to pull out of the case and I want to ask the court's permission to pull out," he told the court.
Mr Kilukumi said that "in the event for any reason the nomination fails to go through, I will come back and represent my client".
