DPP to confirm serving summons to Mwakwere

The Director of Public Prosecution is scheduled to inform a magistrate’s in Nairobi whether it has served Environment minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere with summons to appear in court for hate speech charges.

Principal State Counsel Lillian Obuo, from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, is expected to report to the magistrate if the summons has been served.

The case is coming up for mention before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nairobi. Mr Mwakwere is accused of hate speech.

The Prosecutor accuses him of uttering statements that were likely to cause animosity among Coastal communities. He uttered the said statements during campaigns for the Matuga by-election in 2010.

Last week, the case failed to start as a prosecutor informed the court that the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, which monitors hate-speech and recommends prosecution, had failed to serve the minister.

The failure thrust the commission into the spot light. It emerged that the commission had spoken to the minister by telephone regarding the summons, instead of serving him.

Court procedures require that a person is served with summons physically, or in some cases, through newspapers.

If the prosecution confirms that the minister has been served, hearing may begin on Wednesday.

Another Cabinet minister and an MP are to answer to similar charges after Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko approved charges against them.

Mr Tobiko on Sunday recommended the prosecution of Nairobi Metropolitan Development minister Jamleck Kamau and Limuru MP Peter Mwathi.