Mathew Lempurkel denies threat to burn down police station - VIDEO
What you need to know:
Mr Lempurkel faced another charge of inciting his supporters to violence at the police station by telling Constable Nicholas Kipruto to release the suspect or they burn the station.
His words, the prosecution said, could have led to destruction of government property.
The lawmaker denied both charges and Chief Magistrate Lucy Mutai released him on Sh500,000 bond or cash bail of Sh300,000 pending the hearing of the case.
Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel has been charged in a Nanyuki court with threatening to set on fire a police station in Laikipia County.
The lawmaker, who was rearrested in Nairobi on Wednesday soon after facing charges of assaulting nominated MP Sara Korere, is alleged to have threatened to set alight the Rumuruti Police Station in his push for the release of a suspect.
He is alleged to have committed the offence on July 31, 2016.
Mr Lempurkel faced another charge of inciting his supporters to violence at the police station by telling Constable Nicholas Kipruto to release the suspect or they burn down the station.
DENIED CHARGES
His words, the prosecution said, could have led to destruction of government property.
The lawmaker denied both charges and Chief Magistrate Lucy Mutai released him on a Sh500,000 bond or cash bail of Sh300,000 pending the hearing of the case.
He paid the cash bail.
Earlier, the prosecution applied to have Mr Lempurkel locked up, saying police were carrying out further investigations into reports that his supporters were still threatening police and members of the public.
The prosecutor also urged the court to compel the accused to advise his supporters to stop the threats.
TIGHT SECURITY
But Mr Lempurkel's lawyer Juma Kagoro said it was the MP's constitutional right to be granted bail.
Ms Macharia ruled that prosecutors did not have compelling reasons to have the MP locked up as they could deal with the alleged inciters individually.
There was tight security in and around the court as the MP was brought in and processed.
His supporters were barred from going beyond the main gate of the court compound.
The atmosphere was tense in the courtroom, but the magistrate broke the ice by greeting the MP and informing him that he was the court’s first customer of the day.
