Ex-MP Lempurkel to spend another night in police cells
Former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel at a Nanyuki court on March 8, 2018 where he was charged with incitement to violence. He was however to the night in police cells since he could not pay a Sh100,000 cash bail as the court registry had closed by the time the ruling was delivered. PHOTO | MWANGI NDIRANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Magistrate Evanson Ngigi dismissed an application by the State to detain him at Nanyuki Police Station for five days.
- Earlier, Mr Lempurkel had filed an application to stop him from taking plea to the charges.
- He also questioned why he was brought to court at 5pm, terming the move by police as political persecution.
Former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel will spend Thursday night in police cells even after a Nanyuki court released him on a Sh100,000 cash bail after he was charged with incitement to violence.
The ruling on bond application was delivered at 6.30pm long after the court registry had closed for the day.
Senior Resident Magistrate Evanson Ngigi dismissed an application by the State to detain him at Nanyuki Police Station for five days to allow further investigations to be done, pointing out that there were no compelling grounds to do so.
The former ODM legislator is accused of inciting members of the Pokot and Samburu communities to violence by asking them to unite and revenge on disappearance of “our people in the hands of police”.
The offence was allegedly committed on March 6, 2018 at Muarak and Poster market in Laikipia West Sub-County.
Earlier, Mr Lempurkel had filed an application to stop him from taking plea to the charges arguing that he had been held in police cells for more than 24 hours since his arrest at noon on Wednesday.
FOUR POLICE STATIONS
His lawyer William Bonwonga had asked the court to first order for an investigation as to why he had been moved to four police stations before he could be arraigned before the Nanyuki court.
He also questioned why he was brought to court at 5pm, terming the move by police as political persecution.
However, the court allowed the prosecution to prefer the charges against the former MP and advised him to proceed to the High Court to challenge the ruling of the lower court if he felt his constitutional rights had been violated.
After the former MP denied the charges, Mr Ngigi directed that he be released on a bond of Sh250,000 and a surety or alternatively deposit a cash bail of Sh100,000.
